New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

Team Depth Chart of NHL Prospects
Strengths
  • Large amount of pro level prospects
  • Talent and depth on blue line
  • Improved goaltending prospects
Weaknesses
  • Lack of potential star players at forward
  • Lack of right wing depth
  • No elite goaltending prospect

About Prospect Scores and Probability

Prospect Criteria

Legend of Players' Leagues
Pro
Playing in N.A. Pro (NHL, AHL, ECHL, etc.)
CHL
Playing in CHL (OHL, QMJHL, WHL)
NCAA
Playing in NCAA
Europe
Playing in Europe
Junior
Playing in Junior 'A' (USHL, BCHL, AJHL, etc.)
N/A
Not Categorized Yet

Goaltenders

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Scott Wedgewood Pro 7.5 C
2. Maxime Clermont Pro 7.0 C
3. Keith Kinkaid Pro 7.0 C

Right Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Mike Sislo Pro 6.0 C

Left Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Reid Boucher Pro 7.0 C
2. Artur Gavrus CHL 7.0 D
3. Harri Pesonen Pro 6.5 D
4. Blake Pietila NCAA 6.0 B
5. Mike Hoeffel Pro 6.0 C
6. Derek Rodwell NCAA 6.0 C
7. Jean-Sebastien Berube Pro 5.5 C
8. Ben Thomson CHL 5.5 C

Centers

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Stefan Matteau CHL 7.0 C
2. Blake Coleman NCAA 6.5 C
3. Ben Johnson CHL 6.5 C
4. Alex Kerfoot Junior 6.5 D
5. David Wohlberg Pro 6.0 B
6. Graham Black CHL 6.0 C

Defensemen

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Jon Merrill Pro 8.0 C
2. Alexander Urbom Pro 7.0 B
3. Damon Severson CHL 7.0 C
4. Brandon Burlon Pro 7.0 C
5. Reece Scarlett CHL 7.0 C
6. Eric Gelinas Pro 7.0 C
7. Seth Helgeson Pro 6.0 B
8. Matt Corrente Pro 6.0 C
9. Joe Faust NCAA 6.0 C
10. Curtis Gedig NCAA 6.0 C
11. Harry Young Pro 5.5 C
12. Dan Kelly Pro 5.5 C
13. Patrick Daly NCAA 4.0 F

Devils Look To Replenish System

by pbadmin
on
With seven picks in the first three rounds of the NHL’s 2000 Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils had a great chance to solidify its future. General Manager Lou Lamoriello and his staff made some surprising picks, some solid picks and some intriguing picks.

New Jersey had the 22nd pick of the draft and surprised no one by choosing a defenseman. What did surprise many was that the pick turned out to be David Hale of Sioux City of the USHL.

Hale, 6-1 and 204 lbs., was rated 25th among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau. Since there were so many highly touted Europeans in this year’s draft, many expected Hale to go later in the second round. However, the physical defenseman, who will attend North Dakota this coming year, surely seems like a good fit for the Devils.

In the second round, New Jersey had four picks, picking two forwards and two defensemen. Finnish right wing Teemu Laine was a solid pick while unheralded Russian center Aleksander Suglobov could be classified as a surprise. The Devils then added two American defensemen later in the round. Matt DeMarchi of the University of Minnesota was chosen along with future Golden Gopher Paul Martin of Elk River High School.
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Van Ryn Bids Adieu To Devils

by pbadmin
on

In a decision which could affect numerous NCAA players and NHL teams, an arbitrator declared 1998 New Jersey first round draft choice Mike Van Ryn to be an unrestricted free agent.

Van Ryn, drafted after his freshman year at the University of Michigan, left college after his sophomore season to play for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. He and his agents argued that a loophole in the NHL collective bargaining agreement made the young defenseman a free agent.

Arbitrator Lawrence Holden agreed with Van Ryn, a bitter pill to swallow for both the Devils and the NHL. It was hoped New Jersey would avoid an arbitrator’s decision and settle with Van Ryn.

The Boston Bruins had a similar situation in 1999 with former draft choice Ben Clymer who left the University of Minnesota in order to play in the Western Hockey League. However the Bruins relented after receiving pressure from the league, allowing Clymer to become a free agent and sign with Tampa Bay. This avoided the inevitable arbitrator’s decision setting a precedent for the future.

Van Ryn, a solid two-way defensman, should generate considerable interest from other NHL teams. He is certain to receive more lucrative offers than he had received from New Jersey.

Lamoriello And Co. Still In Charge Of Devils’ Draft

by pbadmin
on
It is more or less official now. The John McMullen years are over for the Devils and new owners will be taking over shortly. However, the change in ownership does not mean there will be any changes at New Jersey’s draft table in Calgary on June 24.

Although still riding high after a second Stanley Cup victory in the last six seasons, you can be sure General Manager Lou Lamoriello will be more than ready for this year’s draft. With no assurance that the mysterious Lamoriello will return for next season, this could be his last hurrah.

Lamoriello and his staff, which includes unheralded chief scout David Conte, surely will be looking to continue the success of the past several years. There is no reason to expect the Devils will operate any differently from past years.

With a Stanley Cup winning team, there are usually not too many holes to fill. Therefore you can expect New Jersey will go after that proverbial best player available regardless of position. The Devils, with one of the NHL’s finest goaltenders in Martin Brodeur, still used first round picks to draft goalies in 1997 and 1999 (J.F. Damphousse and Ari Ahonen) despite the perception the club needed offensive players.

Lamoriello also will not be afraid to make a trade on draft day. The Devils had success moving down to draft Brodeur in 1990, as well as moving up to take Scott Gomez in 1998.
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Van Ryn’s Status Still Up In The Air

by pbadmin
on
Mike Van Ryn wants to be a free agent. The New Jersey Devils want Van Ryn to remain Devils’ property. Others want Van Ryn to go back into the draft.

It remains to be seen whether Van Ryn hits the jackpot. With the NHL draft right around the corner, the former University of Michigan and Sarnia Sting defenseman’s status remains in question. After playing two seasons at Michigan, Van Ryn, a 1998 first round draft choice of New Jersey, decided to play a year in the Ontario Hockey League. The young defenseman and his agent claim this path should lead to free agency.

An arbitrator still has not decided Van Ryn’s case and an answer may not be forthcoming until mid-July. However Van Ryn and his agent, Don Meehan, remain patient and hopeful.

“We have a hearing scheduled for June 13,” according to Meehan. “The arbitrator then has thirty days to hand down his decision.”

Both New Jersey and the National Hockey League are quite anxious about the final decision in this case. The Devils are concerned they could lose the rights to one of their top prospects. The NHL is worried about the precedent that could be set by this case. If Van Ryn wins, a U.S. college hockey player who is drafted in the future could attain free agent status by playing a year for a Canadian junior team.

According to Meehan, “We remain very optimistic about the results of the arbitration hearing.” The Devils, along with the NHL, can only hope the optimism of Meehan and Van Ryn is misguided.

Goalie of the Future to Bypass Training Camp

by pbadmin
on

Well, in nine days the Devils will start training camp and there will be a few no shows. As usual the holdouts that take place in New Jersey is no surprise, but what is a surprise is that NJ’s top pick this past draft Ari Ahonen will bypass his opportunity to make an impression on the Devils top brass.

Ari Ahonen, chosen 27th overall, will skip this camp and work on becoming the No. 1 goalie in the first-division Finnish Elite League. Although the 6-2, 172-pound Ahonen is highly regarded, he is only 18.

“He won’t be here,” Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “He’s going to be a No. 1 goalie at 18. It’s good, but you like to see your young kids brought along slowly.” Ahonen played for Jyvasklya in the Finnish Junior League last season. Lou feels Ari will be a starting goalie in the NHL in the future. With the progress of JF Damphousse developing a lot slower then the Devils hoped, it only made sense to go out and draft another netminder. A lot of heads turned when Lou Lamoriello choose Ahonen, but NJ who has one of the best scouting system in the league was sold on him from the beginning. It’s rumored that when NJ was scouting slick skating defensman Brian Rafalski they found Ahonen also. “I always take into account what Dave says” (Devils head scout David Conte) “And he came to me and told me that Ahonen was very talented and polished even at 17, we could not take a chance on passing him up.” said Lamoriello

Top Prospects

  1. Jon Merrill
  2. Scott Wedgewood
  3. Alexander Urbom
  4. Eric Gelinas
  5. Damon Severson
  6. Reece Scarlett
  7. Stefan Matteau
  8. Reid Boucher
  9. Keith Kinkaid
  10. Brandon Burlon
  1. Maxime Clermont
  2. Blake Coleman
  3. Seth Helgeson
  4. Blake Pietila
  5. Ben Johnson
  6. Curtis Gedig
  7. David Wohlberg
  8. Graham Black
  9. Artur Gavrus
  10. Mike Hoeffel

Notable Prospects

  1. Jean-Sebastien Berube
  2. Matt Corrente
  3. Patrick Daly
  4. Joe Faust
  5. Dan Kelly
  1. Alex Kerfoot
  2. Harri Pesonen
  3. Derek Rodwell
  4. Mike Sislo
  5. Ben Thomson
  6. Harry Young
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