For the first time in many years, the New Jersey Devils won’t have a pick near the top of the NHL Draft when the teams gather in Nashville on June 28. The Devils’ 26th-overall pick belongs to the San Jose Sharks after they traded it for Timo Meier. Instead of looking ahead, now is the time to look back at who they have drafted and who could make the jump to the NHL this season.
This list of prospects will not include Luke Hughes or Alexander Holtz, as both should be with the team to start the season. Here are three players who will have to earn their spot out of training camp. During their rebuild, the Devils played young players who weren’t ready for the NHL, because they were trying to be as bad as possible. Now, they are trying to win the Stanley Cup. If these three can showcase their talent at training camp, they could be options for the team going forward.
Simon Nemec
The second overall pick in 2022 spent the 2022-23 season with the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League (AHL). In 65 games, he scored 12 goals and 34 points; a very solid first season playing in North America. The Devils chose Simon Nemec over players like Shane Wright and Logan Cooley because they felt they needed another top defensive prospect to develop with Luke Hughes. With Hughes making the jump to the NHL at the end of last season and into the playoffs, the Devils are expecting Nemec to do the same in 2023-24.
When the Devils traded Damon Severson to the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this offseason, they opened up a spot on the right side. With Dougie Hamilton and John Marino occupying the top two spots on that side, Nemec can slide into the third-pairing and play some sheltered minutes until head coach Lindy Ruff feels he is ready for more playing time. He would likely be paired with a veteran like Brendan Smith, who could help the rookie gain confidence playing against NHL competition. Nemic is poised to be a top-four defenseman going forward, and if the organization can help him become that, the Devils will have one of the best blue lines in the league for years to come.
Nolan Foote
Nolan Foote has been with the organization since 2020. He was acquired in the trade that sent Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 19 games with the Devils, he has scored five goals and seven points. While he hasn’t been able to stick in the NHL, he has been consistent in the AHL, with 20 goals and 37 points in 55 games last season. He is still only 22 years old and entering the last year of his entry-level contract, so he would be a good option for the Devils’ bottom six.
Related: Devils 2023 Draft Targets
With the possibility of losing Tomas Tatar and Miles Wood in free agency, the Devils will have holes to fill in their lineup. They could look to sign free agents or they could see if any players already in their organization can step up and take that job. Foote is going to be one of those players who gets a look at training camp, as one of their more NHL-ready prospects, and he has been getting better each season in the AHL. If he can become a full-time NHLer next season, the Devils could have a sneaky good scorer in their bottom six.
Brian Halonen
Brian Halonen was undrafted and signed by the Devils after he finished his 2021-22 season with Michigan Tech in the NCAA. During that season, he scored 21 goals and 44 points in 37 games before he joined the Comets in the AHL and played 12 games to finish the season, with three points. He followed it up last season with much better production, recording 17 goals and 30 points in 57 games. While those numbers might not be great, it shows that he could be a good goal scorer, which is something the Devils could use to bolster their offense.
He is 24 years old, so he is still young enough to become useful to the Devils. Like Foote, if Halonen has a good training camp, and the Devils are still looking for spots to fill, he could earn a spot in the bottom six. He is also a great skater, so he could add speed to the lineup, which would fit with the Devils’ system. At 6 feet and over 200 pounds, his combination of size and speed, plus his potential goalscoring ability, could make him a name to watch going into the 2023-24 season.
The Devils are going into a new season with Stanley Cup aspirations for the first time in a while. While they might not have another 13-game winning streak, they will be competitive. If these three players can make an impact at training camp and make the team, the Devils are going to be even more dangerous this season.
