So I was planning on my next article to be on potential sleepers of the draft since I was worried I would just keep rehashing the same players each time with these spotlights, especially considering I use multiple players. However a PM request for the Devils came in so I'm going to do this one first and speculate on their first and second rounders.
Since the Devils are in the 9th spot and I have gone on at length with the Sabres (8th), Flyers (11th) and Oilers (7th) and used pretty much every combination likely available at those positions I'll keep the first pick brief. If you want to see any of those blogs just click the Coyote at the top of the page and browse.
The Devils organization is one in flux. Marty is really getting up there in age, Elias is as well and they could lose Clarkson to the piles of money desperate teams will shower on him this off-season. There are some promising prospects and young players both in the pipeline and on the squad itself, but they do need more depth in practically every position...well aside from goalies...but those are crapshoots at best, especially when you need to be the guy replacing the most successful goalie to wear the pads.
First off their defense prospects are fairly solid and with young Larsson already on the club this isn't major problem, though like every club it could be better. Jon Merill has a very high ceiling as a 3-4 dman if he can put it all together and stop getting disciplinary actions held against him. His first taste of the AHL was very promising. They also have players like Damon Severson a jack of all trades two-way defenseman and the high risk high rewards in Eric Gelinas and Reece Scarlett.
What they need badly are scoring prospects as outside of Reid Boucher who has holes in many areas of his game and Steffan Matteau who is more likely to be a tough as nails 3rd liner, they lack real scoring threats in the system. This has been exacerbated by the slow development of Jacob Josefson who may never reach that top-6 potential and Mattias Tedenby who is teetering on the edge of "bustdom."
So here are my picks for the Devils.
9th Overall
Sean Monahan : Like all these picks it's hypothetical if they drop or rise so there is a possibility that Monahan will be at 9 especially since he hasn't played hockey since the 67's were eliminated and he's one of the older players in the draft. The two-way centre brings offense and PP specialties as well as size. His main assets are his smarts and vision. He thinks the game extremely well and finds gaps that he can exploit. He’s not overly physical as a player, but he does do well on the boards and is willing to compete for the puck. He’s got some of the better hands in the draft and it is fun to watch him twist and turn from players like he was some small skill player. Due to his team being…er…garbage he played in all situations and essentially played 30+ minutes some nights and while I wouldn't call him a defensive centre he’s certainly above-average in his own zone. The Devils are not as hard up on centre's as many others are so you might be wondering why pick him? Well simply put, if he falls to 9 you can be almost certainly sure that he is the BPA left on the board.
Hunter Shinkaruk : This is my ideal pick for the Devils in the 9 slot. They desperately need winger prospects in the worst way, in particular those who can score. The 5'10 sniper plays both wings and has some serious natural goal scoring ability (49 last season with Emerson Etem and 37 this season). He showed great leadership when he donned the C and was in general the best player for the Tiger Cats (especially in the playoffs). He has a strong quick stride that makes him very hard to defend in a one vs one situation and allows him to blow by defenders on the wing. He has very quick hands and is highly unpredictable with creativity in the offensive zone coming out of the wazoo. His playmaking is strong as well, but his quick hard shots and willingness to get around the net are his real strengths. All this being said he is a small player and despite hard work and even some strong backchecking/forechecking abilities, he does need to get stronger and show that he can compete against stronger competition.
Other notables that might be available with this pick are Valeri Nichushkin (RW) of Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, Max Domi (C) of the London Knights, Adam Erne (RW) of the Quebec Remparts and Bo Horvat (C/LW) of the London Knights. I avoided Swedes because considering the Devils track record on Swedish forwards...well you know.
39th Overall
Eric Comrie : Now at the start I said how they have decent depth with goalies, and that is true, but all teams could use potential starters as goalies are the hardest players to predict. This is assuming Fucale is off the board and at 39 I think it is safe to assume he is. Comrie in my mind is the next best goalie, you can make arguments certainly for Jarry or Martin or Desrosiers or even that Finnish goalie everybody loves who plays in their Junior B league, regardless Comrie in my mind is the second best goalie prospect after Fucale. He started 37 games for the Tri-City Americans and showed major improvement. He's known for his excellent glove hand and solid post to post movement. He's calmer in net than Fucale and less dynamic in his athleticism which is the big difference between the two. Overall he was one of the best goalies in the WHL and is on the rise.
Ian McCoshen : Big, mean and mobile. He has a lot of upside but may fall this far as he falls into that middle group of defensemen that are surrounded this draft by quality forwards. He's got a good shot and can man the back on a PP as their big cannon, though he's not very good at rushing the puck and requires a player with that skillset beside him to get the most out of his offensive potential. He's pretty good defensively and works hard. He can have major brain cramps with some avoidable giveaways every now and then that can make you cringe. The thing is that at 6'3 207 and already showing that he is more than willing to crush players when he can and will try his best in his own end, there is major upside. At 39 I think he is likely gone, but if he is still available the Devils should/would jump all over him. One of my only concerns is that he has played the point on the PP for two straight All-Star quality teams in the USHL and you never know how that might have inflated his numbers.
Pavel Buchnevich : Touted in the 1st round by many for his skill and style of play, yet destined to drop because of the usual reasons...Buchnevich was the standout performer for Russia in the U18's this year. Buchnevich out performed Valeri Nichushkin in the tournament and showed his excellent creativity and timeliness. He gets around the net like a predator hunting loose pucks. He has that amazing wrist shot you typically expect from a Russian trained player and that quick deceptive speed down the wing. What really stood out to me was his board work which was he showed surprising strength considering he's 6'1 157lbs. He shows a strong competitive edge and is willing to throw some hits on the forecheck when he needs to. One issue I noticed in the MHL was a habit of minor penalties like slashing and hooking when he gets frustrated, something to watch out for. Now as the Russian factor stands he may even go undrafted, you never know, Anton Slepyshev was rated by everybody and their dog in the top-30 last draft and he went out because of his commitment to his KHL squad which would last 3 years.
William Carrier : Before his injury Carrier was right up there competing for the QMJHL scoring title playing on a two man team (Himself and overager Alexandre Lavoie). The 6'1 LW is in my opinion a steal in the making if he makes it even to 39. He has a heavy strong shot and is very good at taking slappers from the "Stamkos Area" as it were. He plays with a physical edge and shows strong backchecking skills. He's not the fleetest of foot, though he has excellent quickness in tight and with his hands that makes for a tricky change-up against defenders. I like that he has shown he can play in any role and still be a factor. Despite playing only 34 games he was by far the Screaming Eagles best player and I shudder to think what he could have done on a team with even a smidgen more of talent and not getting injured so early in the year.
Tyler Hill : An extreme project that could end up being a great pick, Hill is a 6'6 225lb behemoth that plays both wings. He's a player that should take awhile to actually pan out, so maybe it is not the best pick for the Devils, but with his size and style of play you have to love the upside. Since the only USHL games I saw were Waterloo and the USNDP teams I'm differing my opinion to others who have seen him play. He's said to be an aggressive winger who doesn't always hit to hurt, but when he does he can leave players in a heap on the ice. He's a pain in the arse behind the net and is difficult to not only take the puck off but moving him in general. He's not the greatest skater and has a choppy stride and is in need of improvement. The interesting thing is that he has very good hands which you would never expect from the size of him. Defensively he's intimidating and is willing to lay out in front of shots, he ended up one of the few plus players on his entire team and by a wide margin.
Nicolas Petan : It's hard to believe that the leading scorer in the WHL and CHL, one of the best players in the Memorial Cup might last until 39th, yet such is the case for Petan who suffers from that severe affliction of being 5'9 and a hockey player. Extremely skilled and highly creative with amazing speed, he has all the tools to be factor at the next level aside from size. There are several worries to Petan, he played on the top line in the CHL as their centre with one of the best teams in the CHL, it has certainly helped his situation. Despite his work ethic, some of his cute moves cutting into the middle that he gets away with would get his head smacked off against NHL defensemen. The things in his favor are that he can play a two-way game and is willing to backcheck and use his quick stick to steal pucks, including being played on the penalty kill at times when the team needs a boost (see Mem Cup Final). Can he be a centre at the next level?
Artturi Lehkonen : While Barkov and Ristolainen have stole well deserved thunder from the SM-liiga, Lehkonen has gone under the radar despite his own amazing performance. He tallied 14 goals and 30 points in 45 games for KalPa being the second leading scorer on his team and winning the SM-liiga Rookie of the Year (Barkov and Ristolainen having played full seasons the year before ineligible). He also dominated the U18's for Finland while being a solid player for them in the U20's. Overall he's had an amazing season, which is why it's weird to see him at times slipping not only from the 1st round, but the 3rd. He's a small winger with good scoring-instincts and a good snapper, Lehkonen is very good with the puck and has good stickhandling. He is highly competitive and while often physically at a disadvantage, Lehkonen is not afraid to enter battles in corners despite his frame. He can score off the rush with his excellent speed and in close a la Danny Briere. It'll be interesting to see if his game can translate to the NA game because he's looked dominate on the big ice every year. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody takes him in the 20-25 range.
Other players to consider : Nicholas Baptiste (RW) of the Sudbury Wolves, Shea Theodore (D) of the Seattle Thunderbirds, Nick Sørensen (RW) of the Quebec Remparts or Marko Dano (C/RW) of HC Slovan Bratislava in the KHL.
Thanks for reading.
So I'm going to do potential sleepers next which includes several players I used here including many of the "Other players considered." If anybody else wants their team done, just PM me or leave a comment. Otherwise the Draft Spotlight's will be over and I'll move on to the next stuff I plan, which will later include a 4 round mock draft.
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