On Mike Cammalleri
When the Devils signed Mike Cammalleri to a lucrative five-year contract in free agency, I think everyone understood he'd be a very important piece to this team.
It's still early, but as it turns out, he may be even more important to New Jersey's success than we all thought.
There's no denying the top line looks a heck of a lot better with Cammalleri on it than anyone else the Devils have used in that role over the last couple seasons, and Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr seem to struggle offensively without him.
It's not just them, though, as the team as a whole has struggled to fill the net without him. When Cammalleri plays, the Devils have a potent offensive attack and score close to three goals per game. Without Cammalleri, they average just two goals per game.
Hopefully for the Devils sake he can stay healthy, because they're much better with him than without him.
Prospect Updates
I always like to post prospect updates to let you guys know how some of the future Devils are performing, especially because I scout OHL and watch CHL hockey whenever I can, but I haven't done that much this year.
I'll try to do this with more regularity, starting now.
- 2014 1st round pick John Quenneville is off to a great start playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings, one of the top teams in the CHL (CHL = OHL + QMJHL + WHL). He has seven goals and 17 points in 14 games, and recently represented Team WHL against Russia in the Super Series, where he scored a beautiful shootout goal in one of the games.
For those curious, Brendan Lemieux is off to a similar start. Playing with a lesser team in the Barrie Colts (OHL), Lemieux has 10 goals and 17 points through 16 games, and represented Team OHL vs Russia in the Super Series. Not much separation between these two, who were selected one pick apart in the draft, early on.
- Devils 3rd round pick Connor Chatham is off to a decent start with the OHL's Plymouth Whalers. The 19-year-old winger, who was drafted as a 2nd year eligible last year, has scored six times and added five assists for 11 points through 17 games. He also has 26 penalty minutes, and is well on his way to surprising last year's total of 51 penalty minutes in 54 games. He's also on pace to shatter the 13 goals he scored last year, but his .65 points per game isn't a ton higher than the .58 he posted last year. I'd like to see more production from a 3rd round pick, especially one that went so high as an 18-year-old rather than 17.
- 2013 3rd round pick Ryan Kujawinski, like Chatham, is off to a decent but not great start. Kujawinski has 8 goals and 12 points through 18 games with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs. I haven't gotten a live look at him yet this season, but judging by his stat line consistency continues to be an issue with him. One game, he'll record a few points and be the best player on the ice. The next: nothing. He'll need to clean that up if he wants to turn pro after the season.
- Anthony Brodeur isn't having the best of seasons with Gatineau of the QMJHL. He has just a .876SV% through 16 games, and has been pulled on several occasions. He started the year as the starter, but has reportedly since been named backup and may be traded all together. Brodeur will need starts, so if he's not going to play much a trade would be of benefit. That said, he'll probably get more games wherever he's playing if he performs better so he'll need to step up.
- 6'4 winger Brandon Baddock has two goals and eight points through 20 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He had just 17 points in 56 games with them last year and will be a bottom-6 player at the pro level, so it's hard to expect much in the way of production.
- Ryan Rehill, who compared himself to Douglas Murray after being drafted by the Devils, has two goals and eight points through 21 games while playing big minutes with Kamloops.
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