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For years the New Jersey Devils' prospect system has routinely been ranked at or near the bottom of the NHL.

While there is still work to be done in that regard the Devils' system has gotten significantly better since GM Ray Shero and his staff took over.

Headlined by Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod the Devils have added some high-end talent to the system at the game's most important position. They have also added a lot of (much needed) depth on the wing and one of the best goaltending prospects in Mackenzie Blackwood. The defense in particular is still an area of weakness but it's clear the Devils' farm system is getting much better.

As a result they were ranked 19th by ESPN's Corey Pronman in his yearly organizational prospect report (paywall). Again, there is still room for improvement but they have a respectable system now. The same could not be said a year ago when the Devils were ranked the 26th in the team prospect rankings and a debate could have been made they should have ranked lower.

With a noticeably improved system, several young players starting/ready to establish themselves at the NHL level (Zacha, Joseph Blandisi, Reid Boucher, Steve Santini, etc.) and 17 draft picks over the next two seasons the future is starting to look pretty bright in New Jersey.

Shero and his staff deserve a lot of credit for how they've managed to turn the organization around in such a short period of time.

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