New Jersey Devils: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
It has been a rough decade for the New Jersey Devils.
Since making the 2011-12 Stanley Cup Final, they have qualified for the Playoffs just once and that came during the 2017-18 season. Prior to the 2016-17 season, things appeared to be on track for the organization when former General Manager Ray Shero pulled off the stunning Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall trade. Unfortunately, however, despite the heist, it resulted in just one trip to the postseason, where they were eliminated in five games by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Since then, the organization has had quite a few changes. Hall is no longer a member of the Devils, as they dealt him to the Arizona Coyotes in December of 2019. They were also able to obtain the First overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, where they selected Jack Hughes. While he struggled in his rookie campaign, he looks like he has arrived this year with eight points (3 G, 5 A) through nine games.
With players like Hughes, Nico Hischier, and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, the Devils certainly have some pieces that should allow them to turn things around soon. On top of those names listed, they also possess one of the best prospect pools in the entire league, some of whom will be (or already are) contributing at the NHL level very soon.
As mentioned in every other Top 8 Prospects articles throughout this series, any player who has played in more NHL games than any other league in a season, regardless of the season, will not be included. (Exception has been made for the 2020-21 season, given that many leagues, including the AHL, have yet to play any games).
Here are the Top 8 Prospects in the New Jersey Devils system:
8. Nick Merkley
When the New Jersey Devils chose to trade Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes, one of the main pieces they were getting back was forward Nick Merkley. The now 23-year-old forward, who was taken 30th overall at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has shown he can score at the AHL level, but has been unable to become a regular NHLer to this point. Last season saw him post 16 points in 26 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners prior to the trade, and an additional 19 in 28 games with the Binghamton Devils post trade.
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Prior to the trade, Merkley had appeared in just one NHL game with the Coyotes that came during the 2017-18 season. After being traded however, the Devils gave him a short four game stint where he impressed with one goal and an assist. He has played in three games with the Devils to begin the 2020-21 season where he has managed one helper. It is likely that when the AHL season begins, he will be sent down to get more minutes. Given that he is 23 now, he needs to have a breakout season whether it be in the NHL or AHL if he still wants to be considered a top prospect heading into the 2021-22 campaign.
7. Yegor Sharangovich
At this time last year, Yegor Sharangovich wouldn’t have been anywhere close to cracking this list. His 25 points in 57 games during his second AHL season last season didn’t seem overly promising. However, because of the AHL season being delayed this year, the 22-year-old returned to his home country of Russia to play. He suited up for a total of 34 games with Minsk Dynamo, where he impressed with 17 goals and 25 points in 34 games. Despite not being with the team for weeks now, he still sits second on Minsk for goals.
Thanks in large part to his impressive performance this season, he was able to not only secure an invite to the Devils Training Camp, but has suited up for all nine of their games to this point. In those nine games, he has chipped in with a goal and an assist to this point. While it remains to be seen whether or not he will stay in the NHL or be sent to the minors once their season gets underway, there is no doubt he has shot up the New Jersey Devils depth chart.
6. Reilly Walsh
The New Jersey Devils appear to have made a very good Third-Round selection at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft when they selected defenseman Reilly Walsh with the 81st overall pick. Going into the Draft, he was coming off a rookie season in the USHL with the Chicago Steel in which he had 10 points in 24 games. Those totals didn’t cause much excitement amongst Devils fans, however, but what he’s done since certainly has.
The 21-year-old has spent the last three seasons playing for Harvard University. He had a very impressive freshman season, scoring seven goals and 20 points in 33 games. He followed that up with an even better sophomore campaign, putting up 12 goals and 31 points in 33 contests, and had yet another great year in 2019-20 with eight goals and 27 points in 30 games. The Devils were able to get him signed to an Entry-Level Contract in August, meaning he will make his professional debut once the AHL season gets underway.
5. Tyce Thompson
Another great college prospect the New Jersey Devils have is Tyce Thompson, who they selected in the Fourth-Round (No. 96 overall) at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The now 21-year-old forward was drafted after his freshman year of college in which he had eight goals and 25 points in 42 games with Providence College. While those were solid totals, it was the 2019-20 season that established Thompson as a high end prospect, as he was able to score a team leading 19 goals along with 44 points in 34 games.
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Thompson is currently in his third season with Providence College. In 16 games, he has six goals and 12 points, totals which he should be able to improve on as the season goes on. Tyce, who is the brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Tage, appears to have a very bright future ahead of him, and the Devils will need to do everything in their power to get him signed to an Entry-Level Contract in the near future.
4. Dawson Mercer
Heading into the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils had three First-Round picks at 7th, 18th, and 20th overall. With that 18th selection, they were able to grab Canadian-born forward Dawson Mercer. The 19-year-old already had three seasons in the QMJHL under his belt heading into the Draft, including the most recent where he put up 24 goals and 60 points in 42 games split between the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL.
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Mercer had also had a chance to show himself on the world stage prior to being drafted, suiting up in all seven games at the 2020 World Juniors and earning a Gold Medal with Team Canada. While he was held pointless in 2020, he was able to play in the tournament once again this year and had much better personal success, scoring two goals and six points in seven contests. Given the struggles the QMJHL has had this year with running due to COVID-19, Mercer has appeared in just nine games on the season, posting five goals and five assists. While losing a big chunk of the season is unfortunate, he remains a very exciting player for the Devils.
3. Nolan Foote
The Devils were able to get quite a return at the 2020 Trade Deadline when they acquired prospect Nolan Foote and a First-Round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Blake Coleman. Foote, 20, was taken 27th overall by the Lightning at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft after a 36 goal, 63-point season with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL.
Unfortunately, an injury riddled 2019-20 campaign limited him to just 27 games last season. He did make the most out of if however, registering 15 goals and 33 points. Foote was also able to suit up for Team Canada at the 2020 World Juniors and played a big part in his team winning Gold with three goals and five points in seven games. New Jersey recently announced that he will play in the AHL this year once the season gets underway, which is supposed to happen in just a number of days. Expect him to adapt to the pro game rather quickly, as he looks to be the real deal at this point.
2. Alexander Holtz
With their seventh pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils selected Swedish forward Alexander Holtz. The 19-year-old played in the SHL for Djurgardens IF as a rookie during the 2019-20 season, where he posted an impressive nine goals and 16 points in 35 games. Keep in mind with those numbers that the SHL is one of the top professional leagues in the entire world.
Holtz is currently back playing with Djurgardens and has improved on last year’s totals, registering six goals and 16 points in 26 games to this point. Devils fans were also able to watch him represent Team Sweden at the 2021 World Juniors, his second straight year in the tournament. In five games at this year’s event, he had a goal and two assists, after posting three goals and five points in seven games the year prior. While his stats at the World Juniors don’t jump off the page, it doesn’t change the fact he is one of the best prospects the New Jersey Devils have, and there is a good chance he is able to suit up at the tournament one more time in 2022.
1. Ty Smith
The New Jersey Devils selecting defenseman Ty Smith with the 17th pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft is looking better and better every day. The 20-year-old had a fantastic junior hockey career with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL, including his draft eligible season in 2017-18 where he had 73 points in 69 games. By the time his junior hockey career game to an end last season, he had registered 233 points in 240 games, numbers that are outstanding for anyone let alone a defenseman.
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Still, despite his impressive numbers at the junior hockey level, no one expected him to start his professional career the way he has. He not only cracked the Devils blueline to start the 2020-21 season, but he started off his NHL career on a five-game point streak.
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Through nine games now, he is tied for first in team scoring with eight points (2 G, 6 A), while he also leads all rookie defenseman in the NHL in points, goals and assists. While those totals will likely digress as the season continues, his talent level is very evident, and early on he is certainly in the Calder Trophy conversation, if not the frontrunner. Ty Smith’s future with the New Jersey Devils is extremely bright.