The writers over at NHL.com are in the midst of running a 30-in-30 series where they rank each team's top-5 prospects.
The Devils were featured in the latest edition and the rankings were somewhat puzzling.
NHL.com's top-5 were as follows:
1. Pavel Zacha 2. Steve Santini 3. Stefan Matteau 4. Seth Helgeson 5. Raman Hrabarenka
I'm not exactly on the same page as the folks over at NHL.com so - with not much else happening right now - I've decided to share my rankings for the top-5 prospects in New Jersey's system.
Note: players with NHL experience such as Stefan Matteau and Reid Boucher or recent signings Sergei Kalinin and Vojtech Mozik will not be featured. 1. Pavel Zacha (Sarnia, OHL) This one is a no brainer. Zacha has the size, skill and skating ability to become an all-star caliber forward at the NHL level.
While last season's numbers (34 points in 37 regular season games) were a little underwhelming for a 6th overall pick they still were pretty good given he didn't have much talent around him in Sarnia and he missed time due to injury, suspensions and World Junior play.
He will compete for a spot on the Devils in camp but should he returned to Sarnia - which is probably best for his development - he will likely be one of the more dominant players in the OHL.
2. John Quenneville (Brandon, WHL) Quenneville is coming off a solid season with a powerhouse Brandon Wheat Kings team. The 19-year-old center tallied 47 points in 57 regular season games while playing through some injury problems throughout the year.
He followed up a good year with a great postseason scoring 10 goals and registering 19 points in 19 games for the Wheat Kings.
He is a smart two-way forward who possesses a good shot, puck skills and skating ability. He probably won't ever be an all-star but I think he could become a good middle-6 forward.
Like Zacha, Quenneville will compete for a spot on the Devils this fall but would be best served spending another season in junior.
3. Steven Santini (Boston College, NCAA) After a solid 2013-14 campaign where Santini recorded 11 points in 35 games - and suited up for Team USA at the World Juniors - he went through a bit of a setback last season.
Santini suffered a hand injury that cost him a good chunk of his year - he played in just 22 games - including the opportunity to play for USA at the World Juniors.
In part because of last season's injury Santini will return to Boston College for another season.
He is not going to be a weapon offensively at the NHL level but he can skate, make a good first pass and his defensive game is sound.
4. Blake Speers (Soo Greyhounds, OHL) Speers doesn't get much talk as a recent 3rd round pick but he has instantly become one of the top offensive prospects in New Jersey's system.
Speers averaged 1.18 points per game - including .68PPG at evens - playing middle-6 minutes on a powerhouse Soo Greyhounds team.
To put that in perspective both his even-strength and overall production was better than that of 1st round picks Lawson Crouse, Zachary Senyshyn, and even Pavel Zacha.
Speers should be able to build on last season's totals while taking on a larger role with the Greyhounds next season.
5. Josh Jacobs (Sarnia, OHL) After a solid freshman campaign at Michigan State University - he had nine points in 35 games - Jacobs has decided to follow in the footsteps of fellow Devils prospect Reid Boucher and leave MSU to join the Sarnia Sting.
There he will play big minutes; likely alongside Jakob Chychrun, who is currently projected to be a top-3 pick in next year's class.
Jacobs should be able to put up some points with a supporting cast that features high-end 2016 draft eligibles Jordan Kyrou and Chychrun as well as Leafs prospect Nikita Korostelev and potentially Pavel Zacha.
Honorable mentions: Joseph Blandisi and Mackenzie Blackwood. Both could have easily cracked the list. Recent Posts On the hiring of Castron, Blackwood & more