Blake Pietila

Hometown:

Milford Michigan

Team:

Currently Playing In:

NCAA

Birthday: 1993-02-20	Position: LW
Eligible for draft: 2011	Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2011	Height: 5-11
Acquired: 5th round (129th overall), 2011	Weight: 189 lbs.

Prospect Talent Score

6.0

About Prospect Talent Score and Probability of Success»

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Blake Pietila played for Compuware's midget minor team in the Midwest Elite League and also skated for Compuware's Tier 1 national championship U-16 squad. In 31 midget minor games, he scored 8 goals with 11 assists and received 8 PMs. Pietila committed to playing college hockey at Northern Michigan in 2011-12. His older brother Chad was a freshman for the Wildcats.

2009-10: Pietila was selected for the US National Team Development program and spent the bulk of the season with the U-17 squad: appearing in one U-18 game. In 41 games, he scored 10 goals with 6 assists and had 35 PMs. In 28 USHL games, he scored 5 goals with 3 assists and was -15 with 27 PMs. Pietila participated in the World Hockey Challenge U-17 tournament, scoring 1 goal in six games for Team USA.

2010-11: Pietila was one of four players to appear in all 60 games for the NTDP U-18 squad. He scored 14 goals with 9 assists and had 53 PMs. In 24 USHL contests, he scored 4 goals with 5 assists and was -4 with 20 PMs. Pietila was part of the gold-medal winning Team USA squad at the World Junior U-18 championship tournament and scored 1 goal in six games. Following the season, Pietila de-committed from Northern Michigan and will join his brother Chad, a transfer, and cousin Aaron Pietila, at Michigan Tech with first-year coach Mel Pearson's Huskies program. Blake Pietila was ranked 105th amongst North American skaters by Central Scouting in their final rankings and selected by the Devils in the 5th round (129th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: Pietila skated in 39 games as a freshman and played a big part in the resurgence of the hockey program at Michigan Tech under first-year coach Mel Pearson. Pietila scored 10 goals with 14 assists and was minus-three with 46 penalty minutes. After winning a total of 15 games in the previous three seasons, the Huskies finished eighth in the WCHA. The Huskies knocked off Colorado College in the conference tournament before falling to Denver in overtime in a Final Five quarterfinal. Michigan Tech's 16 wins were the most for the program since 2006-07.

Talent Analysis

Pietila is a smart, hard-working grinder who competes hard every shift and relishes getting involved physically. His speed and quickness, which was once a big weakness, has improved exceptionally to the point where it can now be considered a strength. Short, stocky, and built like a fire hydrant, Pietila excels as a fore-checker and is able to create turnovers due to his high hockey IQ and anticipation. Not surprisingly, he is also a top-notch penalty killer. He isn’t an overly skilled player and his offensive ceiling isn’t really that high, but he put up some impressive numbers as a freshman for Michigan Tech.

Future

Pietila’s offensive output was a pleasant surprise for the Devils in 2011-12, but his future still lies as an energetic, physical bottom-six forward. If he continues to develop offensively, consider it a bonus because even if he’s not scoring, he still has desirable checking line skills.

News & Features

Forwards dominate New Jersey Devils prospect awards

by HF Staff

June 1st, 2013

Photo: Seth Helgeson was the only senior defenseman on the Minnesota Golden Gophers roster this season. Helgeson recently signed a two-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils. (courtesy of Scott A. Schneider/Getty Images)

As the 2012-13 season comes to a close, it is time to hand out the end of the year awards for the New Jersey Devils prospects. While the NHL team struggled, many of their junior players performed very well for their respected clubs. What may be surprising are that most of the recipients are forwards. New Jersey features a healthy stock of quality defensemen, but lacks depth and talent up front. Still, the few standouts had terrific seasons that cannot be overlooked.

New Jersey Devils top 20 brimming with pro-ready defensemen

by HF Staff

May 22nd, 2013

Photo: Defenseman Jon Merrill remains the top prospect for the New Jersey Devils. Merrill recently signed an NHL contract after playing three years at the University of Michigan. (courtesy of Scott A. Schneider/Getty Images)

An important summer approaches for the New Jersey Devils organization. With a plethora of free agents that may or may not be re-signed, the organization may give its minor league and junior prospects an opportunity to crack the NHL lineup.

2013 WJC Review: Golden USA squad dominates second half of tournament

by DJ Powers

January 11th, 2013

Photo: Team USA goaltender John Gibson was strong throughout the 2013 World Junior Championship, earning the tournament MVP award for his performance (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The United States claimed their first gold medal at the U-20 World Junior Championship since 2010, and just their third gold medal ever at this event after defeating reigning gold medalist Sweden, 3-1, in the WJC championship game.

New Jersey Devils own deep, diverse group of defensive prospects

by Jared Ramsden

November 8th, 2012

Photo: After paying his dues in the AHL for several seasons, defenseman Alexander Urbom is on the cusp of becoming a NHL quality defender. (Bill Streicher/Icon SMI)

In terms of strengths and weaknesses, not much has changed for the New Jersey Devils organization. They continue to be well stocked on the blue line, which is good for the future because, aside from Adam Larsson and Mark Fayne, the majority of defensman in New Jersey are on the wrong-side of 30. In between the pipes, the Devils have finally started to plan for future and have a solid group of goaltending prospects. Upfront is a bit of a different story. There is some decent depth at wing and center, but in terms of top-six ability, there is not much to get excited about.

Defense and goaltending biggest assets for New Jersey Devils’ prospect pool

by Jared Ramsden

September 6th, 2012

Photo: University of Michigan defenseman Jon Merrill leads a strong and diverse group of New Jersey Devils prospects. (Brace Hemmelgarn/Icon SMI)

The strength of the New Jersey Devils organization continues to reside in the burgeoning stable of defensemen working their way through the system. The addition of 2012 draft pick Damon Severson to a group that already includes Jon Merrill, Alexander Urbom, Eric Gelinas, and Reece Scarlett should have Devils fans frothing at the mouth about what the defense might look like in the near future. That doesn't even include Adam Larsson, who's already established himself at the NHL level.

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