New Jersey Devils: Top 10 Prospects Entering the 2018 Season
The New Jersey Devils are building a contender after making the playoffs on the back of Hart trophy winner Taylor Hall in 2018. Here are ten prospects who can keep the Devils in contention into the future.
The New Jersey Devils are a team that benefitted from an excellent player in 2017-18. Taylor Hall won the Hart trophy, pushing the Devils into the playoffs. Now, the Devils need to build a team around Hall, one that will be capable of making the playoffs year after year. That means building around the young core, which is more than just Hall.
That’s where the prospects come in. These prospects are ranked based on three equal factors: ceiling, NHL readiness, and the likelihood the prospect plays consistently with the New Jersey Devils in the future. To qualify, these prospects need to have not played 25 NHL games, thus being eligible for the Calder trophy.
Let’s start with the goaltenders.
1. Mackenzie Blackwood [21] (2-42, 2015)
Stats (Binghamton Devils, AHL): 32 games played, 3.41 goals against average, .882 save percentage, 2 shutouts; 5 gp, 2.48 GAA, .920 SV% (5 playoff games played, 1.00 GAA, .964 SV%, 1 SO). Adirondack Thunder, ECHL
Mackenzie Blackwood has not spent as much time in the AHL as the New Jersey Devils would likely hope. Behind two goaltenders in the AHL for the longest time (Scott Wedgewood and Ken Appleby), Blackwood was forced into the ECHL last year and then again this season.
The Devils still have Schneider, but they will need another franchise goaltender to eventually replace him. That should be Blackwood.
Now, with fewer obstacles to his professional development, Blackwood should get serious time in the AHL. That’s not to say he didn’t do well in the ECHL, but his success there and need for improvement in the AHL shows he needs to play in a better league. Blackwood’s struggle in the AHL is not necessarily a bad thing, either. The Binghamton Devils didn’t have the greatest defense this past season, and that should change. His two shutouts and .882 save percentage in his first extended stretch show potential.
Blackwood is also still very young and has time to improve in the AHL. If he gets to a .900 save percentage this season, Blackwood will show significant signs of eventually reaching the NHL. The Devils still have Cory Schneider, but they will need another franchise goaltender to eventually replace him. That should be Blackwood.
2. Cam Johnson [24] (UDFA)
Stats (University of North Dakota, NCAA): 29 gp, 2.14 GAA, .910 SV%, 3 SO; 3 gp, 3.90 GAA, .876 SV%. Binghamton Devils, AHL
Cam Johnson did very well in the NCAA this past season, even with a lesser team in front of him at the University of North Dakota. He was tied for 19th with three shutouts, 36th with a .910 save percentage, and was 16th with a 2.14 goals against average. Johnson made a professional transition with three games in the AHL, though he didn’t perform… ideally.
At 24 there’s still hope for Johnson to become something more, but with lower expectations, he has time to develop
At 24, however, there’s still hope for Johnson to become something more, but with lower expectations, he has time to develop. Johnson could be the goaltender in the ECHL this season for the New Jersey Devils, with Blackwood getting an AHL spot and Eddie Lack and Keith Kinkaid competing for the backup spot in the NHL.
Johnson doesn’t have to do much this season, but doing well in the ECHL should set him up for future opportunities. At 24, he’s a bit on the older side for an ECHL spot, but he’s still in development. Making the professional transition to the ECHL will give him a chance to play and impress while not being the most leaned upon goaltender in the system.