Prospect Info: Ethan Edwards (#120 pick - 2020 draft)

[StevenToddIves]

when i play hockey line lego, i also come up with the same forward lines. unlikely all of them grow into top 6 forwards, but that's also how i see them fitting together. you mentioned smith, bahl and shak as top pairing options. assuming smith plays the right side, which pairings do you think would fit better:

shak - severson
bahl - smith

or

shak - smith
bahl - severson

what about misyul? i still have hope he could be a top4 option. but man that right side needs a lot of work and i don't think there will be a lot of help available from the free agent market.

2020 UFA
Alex Pietrangelo
Sami Vatanen
Christopher Tanev
Travis Hamonic
Brandon Montour

2021 UFA
Dougie Hamilton
David Savard
Adam Larsson
Brandon Carlo (Pipe Dream)

LD
I don't think we can realistically expect Shakir Mukhamadullin in New Jersey for the next two to three seasons. At LD, I would say Bahl is a possible option as soon as 2021-22. Ty Smith is NHL ready right now, but we're not sure if the Devils are going to want him at LD or RD. Misyul is a good prospect, but we have no way of knowing what he will do when his current KHL contract runs out. Vukojevic is a player who probably needs a couple of years of AHL seasoning before he breaks in. Considering the Devils lack of talent at LD at the NHL level, this must be considered a very uncertain situation. We're still not certain if Edwards is a legitimate prospect and he's probably a half decade away from showing us.

RD
This is better at the NHL level and worse at the prospect level. If Smith is kept at RD, the Devils are pretty well set for the next season or two with Severson and Subban also in the fold. But there is pretty much nothing in the prospect pipeline except Walsh and McCarthy. Walsh should be ready to vie for an NHL role by 2021-22, but will his defense improve enough for an NHL regular role? McCarthy I would grade as our best RD prospect, but he's at Boston University for at least the next two seasons. The Devils were criticized by some for not drafting a RD this past week, but it's also important to see in mind that this was the weakest draft at RD in recent memory.

 

[Brodeur]

I haven't listened to this Edmonton based prospect show as much recently, but they've been a decent resource over the years (I still remember the hosts being adamant that Hunter Shinkaruk wasn't as good as Tyler Ennis circa 2013).

Anyways, I was listening to their pre-draft podcast and they had a fun segment with former ISS scout Ross MacLean. In the segment, the host would ask MacLean to pick between three guys from the same league. When they got around to talking about the AJHL, MacLean was asked to choose between Ethan Edwards, Carter Savoie, and Michael Benning. He went Savoie-Edwards-Benning but had some complimentary things to say about Edwards.

Rough transcription (starts around the 30:25 mark):

Host: (rattles off their stats) I've heard a lot of people say that Edwards is maybe the best of the three AJHL guys. I put that trio to you Ross.

MacLean: Edwards is a very, very interesting player. There is a lot of potential there. When you see him play, you're really seeing stuff where you say "This is gonna become something." Like this is pretty special. He's an average size player, but doesn't play like an average size player. He stepped up in the high profile games. He's really gutsy, really easy to admire.

(some stuff about Benning) But I have a natural affinity to lean towards Edwards (over Benning) because I think he's going to get a lot better. I don't think we've reached the tip of the iceberg with him.

----------

Going back to Brendan Morrison, Michigan became my adopted college hockey team so it's always nice to have one of our guys there. Michigan has a couple of monster recruiting classes coming up, so Edwards should have some talent around him. Hopefully those practices will help his development.

 

[Guttersniped]

From Elite Prospects EP Rinkside

Scout’s Roundtable: Elite Prospects Favorite Picks from 2020 Draft

Ethan Edwards, New Jersey Devils, Fifth-Round, 120th Overall
I spoke to a few teams before the draft who rated Ethan Edwards as the premier AJHL prospect of this year’s draft, ahead of Carter Savoie, and Michael Benning. The subject of many heated EliteProspects draft meetings on that same topic, Edwards was my top prospect out of the AJHL, too.
He’s such a smooth skater. Edwards finds soft spots in the offensive zone with a high activity rate, a good sense of timing, and an instinctual drive that makes him one of the better off of the puck offensive creators from the point in this year’s draft. He’ll need to put on some muscle and fill out that 5-foot-10 frame of his, but there’s a nice foundation of skills in place already. — J.D. Burke

Scout’s Roundtable: EliteProspects’ Favourite Picks From the...

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

 

[Stephen Gionta]

So we'll have Edwards and Hughes patrolling the Michigan blue line next year. Cool. Hopefully Power goes to the NHL to free up ice time for both of these guys.

 

[The Wumpus]

What I still think every time I hear this name

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Not to be a downer, but going back through the history of the program the Wolverines have had a mediocre record in developing prospects - particularly players taken in the later rounds.

Michigan has always been able to recruit the can't miss high end recruits due to superior resources - and thus you have theWerenskis, Larkins, and the like.

As last year's first-rounder laden team showed, that didn't necessarily translate to success; particularly since the creation of the Big 10 hockey league.

 

[OmNomNom]

what i think of

 

[A Plus]

What I still think every time I hear this name

Let me know when we draft the modern-day hockey version of Chuck Connors

 

[HBK27]

Has quietly put together a very solid season on Michigan's 3rd pairing after being a healthy scratch early in the season.

Had a nice goal in the opening playoff game in addition to being a physical presence on the blueline.

Been tuning into the games largely to watch Hughes, but have also been impressed with Edwards play.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Has quietly put together a very solid season on Michigan's 3rd pairing after being a healthy scratch early in the season.

Had a nice goal in the opening playoff game in addition to being a physical presence on the blueline.

Been tuning into the games largely to watch Hughes, but have also been impressed with Edwards play.

Last year in the USHL, Edwards looked pretty mediocre, both offensively and defensively, and as such I criticized the pick. I continued to do this early in this NCAA season, when Edwards looked like the weak link in the Michigan D core.

I must say that over the past half-season, Ethan Edwards has shown great improvements in every aspect of the game and emerged as a good defense prospect. He is playing with some pretty impressive puck-moving ability, his defense has shored up, and he is playing with much greater physicality and intensity. He looks capable of making me eat my words, and I hope this continues over the coming seasons.

 

[Hisch13r]

Has quietly put together a very solid season on Michigan's 3rd pairing after being a healthy scratch early in the season.

Had a nice goal in the opening playoff game in addition to being a physical presence on the blueline.

Been tuning into the games largely to watch Hughes, but have also been impressed with Edwards play.

lol Well outside of the 3rd period in the Quinnipiac game. That was hard to watch for him

 

[glenwo2]

That's how you stand up for your teammate.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

That's how you stand up for your teammate.

I really miss this...when will see this in NJ again?

 

[Rydev]

Let me know when we draft the modern-day hockey version of Chuck Connors

View attachment 449238

The Rifleman.. What a show. My grandmother adored Chuck Connors

The actor who played his son Mark just passed away recently, I think

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

"By the time he arrived in Michigan, three years had passed since Muckalt first saw him play and he’d transformed from a 119-pound kid into a 5-foot-11, 185-pound one.

“Stature wise he’s as strong as guys that are 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. Like he’s a physical specimen. It’s pretty remarkable honestly how athletic he is,” Muckalt said. “And now I don’t care if he grows from here on out because he’s plenty strong enough. He plays the game like he’s two or three inches taller and he’s one of the strongest guys I’ve seen in college hockey pound-for-pound for sure.”"

‘He’s full of life’: Meet Ethan Edwards, the Devils prospect with a bold personality and the game to match

The Devils prospect, who is described as "full of life," will play for a national championship with Michigan at the Frozen Four this week.

theathletic.com

 

[Guttersniped]

"By the time he arrived in Michigan, three years had passed since Muckalt first saw him play and he’d transformed from a 119-pound kid into a 5-foot-11, 185-pound one.

“Stature wise he’s as strong as guys that are 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. Like he’s a physical specimen. It’s pretty remarkable honestly how athletic he is,” Muckalt said. “And now I don’t care if he grows from here on out because he’s plenty strong enough. He plays the game like he’s two or three inches taller and he’s one of the strongest guys I’ve seen in college hockey pound-for-pound for sure.”"

‘He’s full of life’: Meet Ethan Edwards, the Devils prospect with a bold personality and the game to match

The Devils prospect, who is described as "full of life," will play for a national championship with Michigan at the Frozen Four this week.

theathletic.com

 

[My3Sons]

Now do the one where he lifts the X wing out of the swamp

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Final season stats for Ethan Edwards:

Ethan Edwards, D, Fr

36

3

8

11

0.31

47 SOG

6.4 SH%

16 PIM

0 GWG

0 PPG

0 SHG

+3

 

[Unknown Caller]

Edwards doesn't look great from an analytical or counting stat perspective, but for what it's worth I've loved his game this year. Just a physical, steady defenseman. The issue is that there isn't a ton of room in the NHL for a 5'10" defenseman who isn't all that dynamic offensively. At a minimum, he could be a valuable player in Utica or a solid 7th defenseman.

 

[forceten]

Bump, since we started talking about Edwards on Muk's post.

 

[Blackjack]

Signed in the KHL through 2023. So, what I'd expect with Mookie likely getting another contract in Russia as well, we're looking at those 2 in, earliest, 3 to 4 years. Thus, I have it like this based solely on who our current prospects and players are...

Bahl-Smith
Okhotyuk-Severson
Vukojevic-Walsh

Puck movers on the right with stalwarts on the left

Muk is under contract with us, on loan to Ufa. Why would he sign another contract in Russia?

 

[The Wumpus]

Now we're talking about Muk on the Edwards page

 

[Guadana]

Now we're talking about Muk on the Edwards page

Post modern era

 

[forceten]

Can we put that Ethan Edwards card in here just for cleanliness sake?

Do we expect to sign him? I wouldn't mind more depth.