In an effort to add depth to the system the New Jersey Devils have signed Jan Mandat to an AHL contract.
Jan Mandat des @ForeursVD signe un contrat avec les Devils d'Albany de la #AHL
— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) May 31, 2016
Mandat is a 20-year-old Czech center/left winger who has spent his last three seasons in the QMJHL playing with Victoriaville and, most recently, Val d'Or.
As an overage player this past season Mandat posted 20 goals and 64 points in 62 regular season games. He followed that up by adding two points (both goals) in six playoff games.
On the surface the numbers don't look bad but they're certainly nothing to write home about for an overage player. For comparison sake Joseph Blandisi recorded more than 100 points in his 20-year-old season and the OHL is a lower scoring league than the QMJHL. That's not to say Mandat will never amount to anything but he certainly has a long way to go before he's ready for a sniff of the NHL.
While Mandat's numbers don't leave a ton of reason to be optimistic about his future it can't hurt to give him an AHL deal.
Albany could really use the forward depth with Brian O'Neill heading overseas, Mike Sislo and Jim O'Brien set for free agency, and Reid Boucher and Blandisi establishing themselves as NHLers.
The Devils aren't exactly bursting at the seams with prospects, either. A big reason for that is the 2014 draft. The Devils had just six picks and three of them - including their 3rd rounder (Connor Chatham) - haven't shown enough to warrant being signed prior to today's deadline.
The Devils need to fill the pipeline somehow and they've elected to use free agency to help them do so.
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