With the New Jersey Devils’ miserable season officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time to shift focus toward the NHL Draft. This year’s edition will take place from June 28-29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
When they take the stage at one of the world’s most expensive entertainment venues, general manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald and company will be faced with a vital decision. Thankfully, it’s a deep draft, and with the 10th overall pick, they’ll have a chance to select a player who could become a massive contributor while their contention window is open. Here are the three that seem most likely:
Berkly Catton, C, Spokane (WHL)
There’s no sugarcoating it: Berkly Catton is an absolute stud. The numbers alone tell you all you need to know, with 54 goals and 116 points in 68 games for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He finished fourth in league scoring, but to no surprise, the three who finished (slightly) ahead of him were older and already drafted. So, why would Catton slip to 10th?
Well, some scouts and insiders seem to be concerned about his size. He’s tall enough for a center at 5-foot-11, but he only weighs 170 pounds. He’ll need to add muscle to be effective at the NHL level. While the Devils need to get bigger and stronger as a team, a player with Catton’s scoring ability simply cannot be passed up.
Peter Baracchini, The Hockey Writers’ draft analyst, said, “He can be a threat in all situations as he’s constantly putting himself in a position to be dangerous and succeed with his awareness and skill alone.”
Mike Morreale of NHL.com highlighted similar skills in his analysis: “(He’s) relentless in puck pursuit and has a compete level too good to ignore. (He’s) poised under pressure and can make smart plays in stride.”
Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet said, “There’s no glaring weakness in his game,” and that was backed up at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup; Catton scored eight goals and a tournament-leading 10 points in five games, captaining Canada to a gold medal. He seems very likely to become a top-six center in the NHL, and with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier locked up for a while, Catton could eventually help complete one of the best 1-2-3 punches down the middle.
Most major outlets have him going between 7th and 14th, and quite a few mock drafts have the Devils selecting him. He’s not as NHL-ready as some other options since he needs to put on some weight and (at some point) gain professional experience. But offensively, he probably has the highest ceiling of anyone still available at 10. If everything goes as planned, the addition of Catton’s entry-level contract could bring the team some much-needed cap relief in a couple of years, helping to prolong their window.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW, Mora (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (MBN) is not only set to become the highest-drafted Norwegian ever but could also be the only one to be selected in the first round. Watching him play, it’s easy to see why. He had 18 points in 41 games with limited minutes for Mora IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan, one of the highest levels of professional hockey in Sweden. Doing that as a teenager is rare, and producing at that level is a different ball game. Jesper Bratt played in the same league at the same age, but Brandsegg-Nygard produced points at a rate roughly ~24% faster than Bratt.
Brandsegg-Nygard also had 10 points in 12 playoff games, becoming one of the hottest professional players in Sweden for a short time. His international play has further removed any doubts about his game. At the World Juniors, he notched five points in five games for a Norwegian squad that only scored 12 goals in the tournament. He then got the opportunity to play at the recent Men’s World Championships, where he had five points in seven games while playing against many NHLers – one of his goals came against Switzerland while facing Hischier and Jonas Siegenthaler.
He’s 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, and potentially still growing. Of all the prospects I’ve seen, Brandsegg-Nygard is arguably one of the most NHL-ready thanks to his fairly physical playstyle. He may not have as high of a ceiling scoring-wise as a player like Catton, but he certainly projects to be an extremely valuable middle-sixer whose quick release has shown to work well on the man advantage.
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While he might never reach Aleksander Barkov’s level, we’ve seen firsthand what a player who thrives on both sides of the puck can do for a franchise in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jason Bukala of Sportsnet said, “(Brandsegg-Nygard has) good size and strength. Plays with pace. Rotates well off the cycle and finds quiet ice in the offensive zone…shoots the puck quickly and accurately.”
Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff said, “He’s someone I expect to be a very valuable two-way player in the NHL,” while Morreale of NHL.com said, “He’s a hard-working player with good first-step quickness, decision-making and vision.”
Since his scoring ceiling is a little lower than others, most major outlets have him ranked between 10th and 16th. But he truly seems to be a stellar fit for the Devils’ organization.
Konsta Helenius, C, Jukurit (Liiga)
Like Brandsegg-Nygard, Konsta Helenius plays professionally, which makes him more NHL-ready than others. He’s one of the younger players in the Draft – he turned 18 a few weeks ago. He had 14 goals and 36 points in 51 games for Jukurit, and similar to Brandsegg-Nygard, he turned it up for the playoffs with six points in six games.
However, his skating doesn’t seem quite up to par compared to other prospects, and it’s caused him to slip down some draft boards. Regardless, a 17-year-old tearing up professional play should not be scoffed at. He’s not small for a center, but not big either, coming in at 5-foot-11, 181 pounds. Daily Faceoff’s Ellis said, “Helenius isn’t big, but he’s strong…(he) battles hard for possession, and while he only had a pair of points at the World Juniors, he displayed his tremendous hockey IQ and small-area game.”
The World Juniors also hurt his stock, as some (myself included) expected more offensive production. But he did have seven points in five games at the U18 World Championships and added an assist in four games at the Men’s Worlds while being the youngest player on the Finnish roster.
That strength is real. There was a sequence when Finland took on Switzerland, and Helenius outmuscled Hischier to effectively tie him up and prevent a rebound goal. He showcased it all tournament, which is why he had a plus-2 rating while playing against some elite NHL talent. The Hockey Writers’ Baracchini said, “He continues to be a workhorse and very deceptive playmaker as that determination and energy seems to take over on a consistent basis. He’s very tenacious when hunting down loose pucks, battling along the boards, and his combination with his patience to strike quickly makes him very dangerous when the play is down low.”
Helenius is overall a bit of a wild card. He doesn’t have Brandsegg-Nygard’s defensive ability but potentially has a higher offensive ceiling. It’s always somewhat difficult to tell how Liiga’s scoring will translate. Most recently, Kaapo Kakko was drafted second overall (2019) due to success in that league, and that hasn’t translated well, while players like Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho have become NHL superstars.
Most major rankings have him slotted between 8th and 13th. While he’s a bit more of a risk, he has the potential to become a key part of the Devils’ future.
Other Players the Devils Might Consider
While these three are most likely to head to New Jersey, a couple of other names are worth mentioning. Left-winger Cole Eiserman broke Cole Caufield’s record for most goals ever scored for the US National Team Development Program, but scouts and analysts can’t agree on his position due to his shoddy defense – some say top-five, while others have him after 15th.
Sam Dickinson of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights is one of the more well-rounded defensemen, but there’s only a very small chance he’ll fall to 10. Cayden Lindstrom (WHL) is a perfect fit for the Devils as a 6-foot-4, 216-pound elite goal-scoring power forward, but he has a recurring back issue that makes it a gamble. Anton Silayev (Kontinental Hockey League) is a 6-foot-7, 207-pound defenseman who has been playing well professionally, but because of the situation in Russia, scouts can’t seem to agree on his position, ranking him anywhere between 2nd and 16th. Who knows when (or even if) he’ll make it to the NHL.
Zeev Buium was the best offensive defenseman in college hockey this season, as his 50 points helped Denver to a National Championship. But with Seamus Casey, Luke Hughes, and Dougie Hamilton already in the fold, it seems unlikely that the Devils would go that route.
It’s important to remember that these talented prospects are 18 years old, and nearly all of them have some flaws. The draft is a matter of figuring out whose flaws are the most fixable or, at the very least, won’t hinder their ability to find NHL success.