New Jersey Devils’ Top 10 Prospects for 2024-25

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The New Jersey Devils are expected to win. In the tight-cap world of the NHL, it’s tough to remain contenders for long unless some prospects on entry-level deals can make an impact. Thankfully, even after some of their previous highly-ranked prospects joined the NHL roster, they still have a pretty solid prospect pool. Here are the rankings:

#10: D Topias Vilen (21 years old, 6’1”, 194 lbs.) | Current team: Utica Comets (AHL)

Vilen was a fifth-round pick (#129) in the 2021 NHL Draft but played pretty well at the highest level of Finnish hockey (Liiga) after being drafted. In 2023-24, he had 39 points in 60 games between the Utica Comets (American Hockey League – AHL) and a short stint in Adirondack (ECHL). He’s 6-foot-1, so he’s not exactly a physical force, but he could be a solid future third-pairing option with an active stick and a nice offensive touch.

#9: G Tyler Brennan (21 years old, 6’4”, 181 lbs.) | Current team: Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)

Brennan was taken in the fourth round, 102nd overall by the Devils in 2022. His subpar numbers in Juniors may be a little misleading, as he played on a few pretty bad Prince George Cougars (Western Hockey League – WHL) teams. He then got 13 games in for Adirondack in the ECHL last season and has started this season off well with a .922 save percentage (SV%).

#8: F Chase Stillman (21 years old, 6’1”, 185 lbs.) | Current team: Utica Comets (AHL)

Stillman was taken in the first round of the 2021 Draft, and it’s safe to say that he hasn’t lived up to that pedigree so far. The Devils deserve some benefit of the doubt because the 2020 COVID season made scouting significantly harder, so Stillman was a big risk. Even though he may never be a top-sixer, he’s played solid enough for Utica, notching 24 points in 54 games last season. He tends to play on the rougher side; if he can get those point totals up a little more, he can be a very effective bottom-sixer in the NHL. 

Chase Stillman Peterborough Petes
Chase Stillman, Peterborough Petes (David Pickering/OHL Images)

#7: Brian Halonen (25 years old, 6’0”, 207 lbs.) | Current team: Utica Comets (AHL)

Halonen was undrafted, instead signing with the Devils as a college free agent in 2023. But after a great senior season at Michigan Tech, he started making a name for himself in the AHL, even earning two separate NHL call-ups. He’s scored an impressive 25 goals in his last 46 AHL games, and they’ve mostly been the result of hard work around the net. His ceiling is likely a fourth-line Nathan Bastian-type role, with a potentially higher offensive ceiling than Bastian.

#6: Mikhail Yegorov (18 years old, 6’5”, 187 lbs.) | Current team: Omaha Lancers (USHL)

Yegorov was the highest-ranked North American goaltender in the 2024 NHL Draft. When the Devils traded John Marino, they immediately used the second-rounder they received to take Yegorov. Don’t let his .892 SV% with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) last season fool you: he was 8-25-3, but some scouts say that the team would’ve gone 0-36-0 without Yegorov. They were that bad. He’ll have to tough out one more season with Omaha, but then he’ll head to Boston University, where he’s sure to have a much better team in front of him.

Related: New Jersey Devils Have 3 Options to Fill Lazar & Bastian’s Roster Spots

#5: G Jakub Malek (22 years old, 6’4”, 190 lbs.) | Current team: Ilves (Liiga)

Malek was taken in the 4th round of the 2022 Draft by the Devils and has improved his game each season while playing professionally in Europe. Last season, he went 16-4-5 for Ilves with a .915 SV%. He also got three games in the playoffs, notching a .910 SV%. His large frame and poise have certainly made him a standout at Devils’ Development Camps. He can come over to North America to further his development as early as the 2025-26 season. 

#4: F Lenni Hameenaho (20 years old, 6’1”, 185 lbs.) | Current team: Porin Assat (Liiga)

Hameenaho has most of the tools to be a very solid top-six, goal-scoring winger. He’s scored 49 points in 65 games for Assat since he was drafted, and he’s shown defensive maturity as well, with a plus-22 rating over that span. His shot is lethal; the only possible critique is his skating, which isn’t exactly blazing fast, but it’s seen improvement year over year. Of 19 Liiga players currently drafted by an NHL team, Hameenaho has the most goals (9) and points (18) in the 2024-25 campaign. His contract expires at the end of this season, meaning he could come over to Utica as soon as it ends. Or he could wait another season.

#3: F Arseni Gritsyuk (23 years old, 6’0”, 194 lbs.) } Current team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

Gritsyuk has all the makings of a draft steal. After the Devils selected 129th overall in 2019, he’s put up an impressive 128 points in his last 179 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) games. He currently leads powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg in points (22), getting to play with NHL-level talent like Ivan Demidov and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Those 22 points rank fifth among 662 KHL skaters. His contract is also up at the end of this season, meaning he could join Utica or the Devils before their regular season ends. I would not be surprised if he goes straight to the main club.

#2: Anton Silayev (18 years old, 6’7”, 209 lbs.) | Current team: Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)

You could make the argument that if Silayev wasn’t Russian, he would’ve been drafted second or third in the 2024 Draft. But he is, which is likely why he fell right into the Devils’ laps at #10. The caveat is that it could be two, three, maybe even four years until they see Silayev…but it could be worth the wait. He’s drawn many comparisons to Victor Hedman in both size and ability. His 6-foot-7 frame is extremely misleading because he skates like he’s 5-foot-10. He doesn’t turn 19 for another five months, yet already has 22 points in his KHL career. 

#1: D Seamus Casey (20 years old, 5’10”, 181 lbs.) | Current team: Utica Comets (AHL)

The Devils took Casey in the second round (#46) of the 2022 Draft, and from there, he broke out at the University of Michigan. He had a remarkable 45 points in 40 games last season, which earned him his entry-level contract. He impressed so much in camp that he made the Devils’ opening-night roster and had three goals and an assist in eight games.

As a smaller player, his defensive play needed some work, so he got sent down to Utica to develop that part of his game. Offensively, he’s tearing it up with nine points in seven AHL games. He’ll be able to get more ice time and will be free to make some mistakes without hurting the NHL club. At some point, maybe as early as this season, he’ll be back, and he has the potential to be an elite offensive defenseman. 

Honorable Mentions

A few players may not have cracked the top 10 but still have the potential to become solid NHLers. Cam Squires had over a point per game for Cape Breton in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) last season. Matyas Melovsky is an overager in the same league, playing for Baie-Comeau Drakkar, but he’s also putting up numbers higher than a point-per-game pace. 

Josh Filmon looked promising in 2022-23 with 75 points in 64 games for Swift Current in the Western Hockey League (WHL), but he took a step backward in what was supposed to be a huge development year in 2023-24. He missed all of camp with an injury and has been held without a point in eight games for Utica (AHL) this season.

Former WHL standout, Adam Beckman (23 years old) was acquired for Graeme Clarke from Minnesota and has six points in six AHL games. At six-foot-two, he could make an impact on the big club at some point this season.

The Devils’ prospect list may not be what it once was when players like Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes were headlining it, but it’s not bad. Many players in the organization’s pipeline have a chance to become mainstays in the NHL.

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