Anytime I need Devils prospect info, and of any team for that matter, i turn to hockeysfuture.com
I am happy to welcome back Jared Ramsden who does a great job covering the Devils' youth for hockeysfuture.com and am excited to spend some time picking his brain on the Devils youth.

Jared thank you again for taking some time and sharing your knowledge with me and all hockeybuzz readers, what did you think of the Devils draft this past June?

Well, when players such as Jacob Josefson, whom the Devils ended up selecting, John Moore and Jordan Schroder started to slip a bit, I wasn't surprised in the least to see the Devils make a move and trade up in the first round. The last two times the Devils have moved up in the first round, they selected Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, and it's safe to say those two have established themselves as legit front line NHL players.

Josefson, a 6'0, 187 lb center, is the type of player that fits perfectly in to the way the New Jersey Devils like to play hockey. He is a very well rounded player, who has great on ice smarts and instincts. While he's not the fleetest of foot, his hockey sense more than helps compensate for that. He's a two way player, with top notch playmaking skills, who should only need a season or two more in Sweden before challenging for a spot in New Jersey.

The common theme throughout the rest of the draft was size and defense. Blueliners Eric Gelinas, Alexander Urbom, Seth Helgeson and Curtis Gedig all stand at 6'3 or taller, and as they fill out and put on more muscle, will become even more intimidating on the backend.

The most surprising aspect of the Devils draft to me was the fact that they again by-passed selecting a goaltender. It was a relatively weak crop of draft eligible goalies this season, but with only Jeff Frazee in the system, I was expecting them to select at least one, maybe two goaltenders.

For a more comprehensive draft overview, check out Hockey's Future for the Devils Draft Review article:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/11323/devils2009_draft_review/

What are some of the highlights of the Devils top prospects in your opinion?

Well Roger, the Devils talent pipeline is slowly starting to rebuild after a bit of a rough patch, and there is some very exciting and emerging talent burgeoning at all positions.

With depth accumulating all over, aside from goaltending, Devils fans should get ready for the incoming wave of young talent that will be gracing the ice at the Rock over the course of the next couple of seasons.

The most exciting development of last season was the play of Jeff Frazee in goal. As the Devils only goaltending prospect, some were skeptical of how he would adjust to the pro game after a sub-par junior season at the University of Minnesota. However the Martin Brodeur injury ended up being a blessing in disguse for both Frazee and the Devils as he was promoted from the ECHL to the AHL, and ended up shattering many club records for Lowell, while regaining his status as a top prospect in the organization.


That is very good to hear. I, for one am longing for a post-brodeur plan and this sounds great. We have two Swedes as our top prospects. Bergfors has been in the system for a while now, is this his year?

You can add Josefson to the list of top prospects as well, giving the Devils a trifecta of talented Swedes at the top of their talent pool.

I absolutely believe this is the year where Devils fans will get to see what Bergfors has got. He started playing pro hockey in the AHL at the ripe age of 18. Now, with four seasons under his belt, and coming of career highs in most offensive categories, Bergfors is finally going to be given an opportunity in New Jersey this fall with the departure of Brian Gionta to Montreal. People have been critical of his play in the past, but the reality is, he's still very young and has yet to be given a shot with the big club. That will change this season, and it's going to be exciting to see what he does with his opportunity.

I agree this is a critical year for Bergfors. Tedenby has been highly touted, does he crack the lineup this year and can we see him and Bergfors on the same line at some point?

The Devils 2008 top pick, Tedenby had an absolutely spectacular playoff for his club team, HV-71, where he emerged as a go to player and scored some dazzling goals using his gamebreaking speed. He is arguably the most exciting prospect the team has had for quite some time and the sky is the limit for Tedenby. He's likely still a year or two away from reaching New Jersey, but he will be at the upcoming development camp for Devils prospects. It's not out of the realm that in the future, an all Swede line of Tedenby-Josefson-Bergfors will eventually be put together.

Who are your sleepers in this group of prospects?

There are three guys that come to mind for me in terms of being sleeper type prospects. Left winger Mike Hoefell is not going to wow anybody with great offensive displays, but he is a well rounded forward, perfectly suited to patrol the left side of a checking line. He's a great penalty killer, he's fast and like to play a physical style of game.

Center Adam Henrique might not be as much of a sleeper anymore after an eye opening playoff with the CHL's Memorial Cup champions Windsor Spitfires, but I still think he's a little underrated. He was one of the top scorers at the Memorial Cup, and a constant and steady two way force all season long for the Spitfires.

Lastly, Vladimir Zharkov quitely had a very solid first pro season of North American hockey after seeing his development stagnate a bit over in Russia. He set a team rookie record with 34 points in 69 games and has a sparkling +23 rating, which was best on the club and tied for tops amongst first year AHL'ers. The speedy left winger probably needs another full year of seasoning in the minors but should be ready to challenge for a spot in New Jersey by 2010.

A oersonal favorite of mine, Cormier is another nice chip we have in the system. What can you tell us about his game and can we compare him to a Madden-type of player?

Cormier is a prospect that all Devils fans should be excited about. For those who were able to watch him this season at the World Juniors for Team Canada, and for his junior team Rimouski at the Memorial Cup, they saw a physically dominant player, with great defensive accumen and faceoff skills. Not only did he play well defensively, but he also showed some offensive flair, especially at the Memorial Cup. He is as well rounded a player as the Devils have in the system, and in my opinion, is a dark horse to make the Devils out of camp this fall. Regardless of when he makes it to New Jersey, it's safe to say his energetic, and rambunctious style of play will make him an instant fan favorite. In a way, he is like a more physical version of now former Devil John Madden.

In your opinion, who are the top three likely to crack the line-up this year?


With the losses of Gionta, Madden, Havelid, Holik and Rupp this off-season, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for some young players to make their marks in 2009-10. As mentioned earlier, Bergfors stands to benefit the best with the departure of Gionta. A top six forward role awaits for the talented Swede. It's just up to him to take full advantage of it. A couple of players who are prospects likely to make the club this year, but not eligible to be prospects at HF due to age restrictions are Rod Pelley, and Ilkka Pikkarainen. Pelley is expected to replace Madden, while Pikkarainen, a right winger who returns to the organization after two years in Finalnd, will help fill the physical void left by Rupp. Cormier, and Matt Halischuk are my darkhorses to make the team. Halischuk has rocketed through the system, and he's very close to making the jump to the next level.

On the blueline, expect to players going into their second years as pro's to challenge for a spot in New Jersey this year. Matt Corrente, brings more of a physical, robust, two way style of play, while converted forward Tyler Eckford has more of an offensive slant to the game, while still learning the nuances of the defensive aspect of the game. I'd say Corrente has the best shot out of the two to make the club this year.

And in goal, it's quite possible Jeff Frazee could be backing up Martin Brodeur in New Jersey. Personally, I think he'd be better off with another full season in the AHL, but a rotation with Frazee and recently signed Yann Danis is an idea that has been discussed by Devils GM Lou Lamoriello.

Are there any final thoughts you'd like to leave Devils fans with?

People should be excited at the mini youth movement the Devils are going to go with this season. There has been an outcry amongst some that Lamoriello has been too quiet in the free agent market, keeping only Johnny Oduya and letting many other established veterans leave for greener pastures. But in the salary cap world, you need to give your young players opportunities top play, and for the first time since the lockout, we will see an infusion of youth in New Jersey. There is a solid core of establised veteran players to help guide the young players such as Bergfors, Pelley, Corrente and Frazee, and there is even more budding talent on the way. Don't panic Devils fans, the future is starting to look very bright!

I am excited and looking forward to this year. I look forward to your new Devils Top 20 prospects list at Hockey's Future in mid-August, Ill certainly be checking it out.

I look forward to our next recap and thank you for giving us some time. Go check out Jared's work at HockeysFuture.com

Lets go Devils!

Truly yours,
The Devils Advocate

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