2021 NCAA, CHL, OHL and European prospects thread - part II

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Mercer primary.

4-2 Val d'Or in the third.

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Chicoutimi loses game two 2-4. Game three of best of five tomorrow puts them on the brink of elimination.

 

[My3Sons]

So if I'm reading the posts right, Mercer's team has scored four goals in the two games and Mercer has had a hand in three of them? That's a lot to shoulder for one player.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Hopefully they can rally back and take the series. Really wanted a Devils prospect to get a trophy this year. Either way if his last game in the Q is his next one having a Gold and Silver World Junior medal is some good hardware for his junior career.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Hopefully they can rally back and take the series. Really wanted a Devils prospect to get a trophy this year. Either way if his last game in the Q is his next one having a Gold and Silver World Junior medal is some good hardware for his junior career.

The sooner Mercer finishes the sooner he can get working on his explosiveness.

 

[Emperoreddy]

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Mercer dances through the D and dishes it to Dube for an impossible angle shot.

1-0.

 

[Tao Jersey Jones]

Chicoutimi loses 3-6. Swept by Val d'Or.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

Rangers Fan coming in Peace. Question on Holtz. What is his eta to the NHL? Do the Devils feel he'll be ready for next season or need another year in Europe before making the NHL squad?

 

[Devils731]

Rangers Fan coming in Peace. Question on Holtz. What is his eta to the NHL? Do the Devils feel he'll be ready for next season or need another year in Europe before making the NHL squad?

I can only speak for my own opinion. The devils will have a lot of young competition for spots next year and may be looking to add some veterans this offseason.

With that in mind, I won’t be surprised if Holtz does not make the team out of camp. It does sound like he will play in the AHL if he doesn’t make the NHL.

 

[My3Sons]

Rangers Fan coming in Peace. Question on Holtz. What is his eta to the NHL? Do the Devils feel he'll be ready for next season or need another year in Europe before making the NHL squad?

It's hard to see NJ playing him in a bottom six role over playing him in a big role in the AHL. Holtz has no specific spot being held for him. Long term they'd obviously like him to play with Hischier or Hughes but in the short term he will have to show he's ready to score at the pro level and his short AHL audition showed he has a ways to go in that department.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Holtz will start in Utica in all likelihood.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Rangers Fan coming in Peace. Question on Holtz. What is his eta to the NHL? Do the Devils feel he'll be ready for next season or need another year in Europe before making the NHL squad?

Holtz will be given a shot at making the roster in camp next year, as the Devils clearly need finishers. He'll have a lot of competition. Other potential rookie RWs vying for a role include Mercer, Clarke and Thompson. Out of the four, I'd say Mercer is the favorite to make the team -- he's the most advanced in terms of his 200-foot game, and while Holtz needs a scoring line to develop, Mercer is a guy you can slot up and down the line-up.

I'd say the realistic time-table for Holtz is the 2022-23 season.

 

[RSeen]

Holtz will start in Utica in all likelihood.

Based on this past season, unless he shows significant improvement, I hope he spends the year in the minors for development.

 

[Brodeur]

We'll see how he progresses, I'm hoping to find an excuse to visit a buddy in Phoenix and watch ASU next season. At least from the couple games I watched when they played against Michigan, my knee jerk thought was that Brady looked like Keith Kinkaid. Evan DeBrouwer went from a .919 sv% season to .888 sv% last year for those who want to make questionable extrapolations with data. Part of that was ASU's top two D went pro and then mix in having to play an all road schedule against Big 10 teams. Looks like ASU has a large recruiting class for next season (including Niedermayer and Doan's kids), so hopefully they're more competitive. I thought they made quite a bit of progress in a short amount of time building up the program, but last season was just an oddity with the schedule.

I looked up ASU's site to check if they had next season's schedule and noticed that incumbent starter Evan DeBrouwer transferred and ASU recruited Miami of Ohio backup goalie Ben Kraws. It looks like Cole Brady would have the inside track to being ASU's starter next season.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Seems like the summer prospects scrimmage tournament is still going on, if anyone is gonna be in Buffalo this summer it might be an opportunity to see Holtz and Mercer in person.

 

[FooteBahl]

Seems like the summer prospects scrimmage tournament is still going on, if anyone is gonna be in Buffalo this summer it might be an opportunity to see Holtz and Mercer in person.

Penguins haz no prospects

 

[Cheddabombs]

Mercer up for the best defensive forward in the Q award. Nice

 

[Emperoreddy]

@StevenToddIves might be 100% in ranking Mercer as our best prospect.

 

[StevenToddIves]

@StevenToddIves might be 100% in ranking Mercer as our best prospect.

It's not really that controversial of a take. And I have Mercer and Holtz ranked very closely. I just give Mercer the slight edge -- he's just such a smart, high-compete all-around player, and he's so versatile. We can see him next year break through as the Devils first line RW or third-line C, and he can be an impact player in either role. What really makes him underrated is that his offensive ability has been sorely overlooked -- he is a true dual threat with high-end passing and shooting, and his hands are elite. His play along the boards is outstanding, he crashes the net, he plays two ways. There's just no flaw here except for a lack of high-end speed.

I said it when the Devils drafted Mercer at #18 and I'll say it again. The Devils got an absolute steal with this kid, he's going to be part of the NJ core for a very long time.

 

[Mosby]

 

[A Plus]

@StevenToddIves might be 100% in ranking Mercer as our best prospect.

I think Holtz is the better prospect and perhaps their avenues to the NHL make it seem muddied

Holtz was playing in a mens league and dealt with covid this year. While Mercer was piling points though as an 'overager' in a junior league

I find myself gravitating to highlights of Dawson more; but, even if they both are equivalent Prospects or Mercer is slightly ahead, I find Holtz' playstyle to be more fitting and integral to the Future success of this team

we need a 40+goal scorer more than we need a two way winger

 

[A Plus]

Quite the list of prospects; I think all of them have top-4/6 upside, and I especially like Pytlick from the comparisons ive seen

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Quite the list of prospects; I think all of them have top-4/6 upside, and I especially like Pytlick from the comparisons ive seen

If Pytlik's skating has improved as much as it appears in video, it could be Maltsev round two. Hopefully the offense develops in this instance.