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2022 New Jersey Devils Draft Recap, Review and Grades
GM Tom Fitzgerald entered the 2022 draft under no small amount of adversity. A large portion of the fan-base, impatient with the latest incarnation of an almost decade-long rebuild, was up in arms across the social media landscape calling for a trade of the #2 overall pick for a top 6 forward who could contribute now.
According to many sources, Fitzgerald tried to achieve precisely this — in the effort to pry world-class power forward Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames. However, his efforts proved fruitless. Still, kudos must be given to Fitzgerald for the effort, as well as not overpaying for some of the previously available forward talents not on Tkachuk’s talent-level.
More adversity soon compounded the situation, when the Devils reported top choice for the #2 overall pick, the sublimely skilled and 6’4 LW Juraj Slafkovsky — a perfect fit for what the Devils needed with an interior, high-skill winger — was somewhat surprisingly taken #1 overall by Montreal. Would the Devils take the consensus #2 player Shane Wright, despite a sub-par draft-eligible campaign and already possessing two top centers in Hughes and Hischier? Would they make a panic move to trade the pick?
In the end, Fitzgerald proved he had a plan for the 2022 draft, and he would stick to it. This is notable, in that his first two drafts — 2020 and 2021 — both proved troublesome for many fans. Though his top 20 picks were very high-quality and well thought out — RW Alexander Holtz, RW/C Dawson Mercer and LD Luke Hughes — there was certainly a lack of cohesive draft strategy thereafter. Pretty much every non-goaltender pick made after #20 in both the 2020 and 2021 draft was problematic with the sole exception of 7th rounder Zakhar Bardakov in 2021. Picks were virtually burned on players it seemed had remote hope at best to reach the NHL, from Benjamin Baumgartner (6th round, 2020) to Samu Salminen (3rd round, 2021).
In 2022, Fitzgerald turned this around for the better. The draft clearly hinged on a strategy of filling the organizational black hole at RD, drafting a litany of high-floor players and swinging for the moon with a highly talented goaltender. The Devils front office and scouting staff stuck to a very smart game-plan and knocked it out of the park with a terrific haul of young talent.
1st Round, #2 Overall
RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia
The Devils resisted the temptation to go with the consensus top-rated player in C Shane Wright. Though some will point the finger at “positional need” in this decision, the fact remains that 3 consecutive teams passed on the one-time consensus top overall pick, and he may not have done well in the interview process. But what the Devils selected instead was not some need-based stretch, but instead a potential high-scoring, superstar #1 defenseman at the NHL level.
The young Slovakian is an outstanding skater who is absolutely elite in his playmaking and transition games. His IQ is off the charts and his play with the puck is incredibly advanced for a teenager in a men’s league. Nemec is so smooth with the puck and his distribution of it, it almost seems as if he was born to play hockey. In the Slovakian men’s league, Nemec broke every record imaginable for a teenaged defenseman. In the playoffs, somehow he found another, much higher, gear and broke every teenaged playoff scoring record imaginable — not just for defensemen, but for any position.
Nemec is also extremely solid in most defensive aspects, and projects to be an all-situations defenseman at the NHL level. He needs a lot of work in this respect, as he has trouble defending against the rush and against speed. But his high awareness and plus-skating lends to the belief he can improve in these respects. Once in the defensive zone, Nemec is very adept at separating opposition from pucks with positioning and shoulder-checks, he’s very competitive and makes good decisions. Once he gets the puck is where he shines the most, he’s just so smart and so good at making quick reads and getting the puck out of danger.
Make no mistake, Simon Nemec is a high-floor young man with the ceiling of a 50+ point, two-way NHL defenseman. Whatever led to his selection by the New Jersey Devils, he’s going to be a very good player for a very long time.
GRADE: A-
Only Slafkovsky would have been an A+ here, but to be clear: he might be the most talented RD the Devils have drafted in their history.
2nd Round, #46 Overall
RD Seamus Casey, US-NTDP
The Devils went right back to the RD well with Casey in Round 2, and it’s quite possible he was their top ranked player at any position. On this year’s US-NTDP, Lane Hutson was the runaway best offensive defender, while Ryan Chesley was the runaway best defensive defender. But there is also little doubt who was the team’s best two-way defender, and that was this Miami, Florida raised, high-IQ rearguard.
Even before the draft, two of the players I compared Casey to were — now, humorously — Devils in Brian Rafalski and Andy Greene. Because, like that pair, the only knock against Casey is his size — 5’10-175. But Casey is not a typical undersized D, an all-offense speed demon who you’re biting your nails won’t get beat every time he’s playing in his own zone. Ultimately, I’d say defense is the strongest aspect of Casey’s game. He’s an ace shot-blocker who plays with the calm, positional savvy and gap-control of a 10-year NHL veteran. He is actually quite adept in puck battles against much-larger opposition forwards, and plays with elite defensive awareness to match a high compete level.
In transition and in the offensive zone, Casey is the rare D who combines high-level tools and offensive acumen with a two-way mind-set — this is to say he’s always thinking of new, creative ways to generate offense without sacrificing defense in order to achieve this. Whereas many of the offensive defensemen in the 2022 class are responsible for as many high-danger chances against as for, Casey is quite the opposite. His rushes and pinches are always smart and focused, it’s rare to see him make any sort of mental mistake.
Skill-wise, Casey’s pretty much got it all — his skating is just shy of elite, while his passing is absolutely elite and his puck-handling is possibly his finest tool of all — this kid is a magician when he’s feeling it with the puck on his stick. He’s a kid who can turn a nothing play at the point into a high-danger scoring chance with an amazing dangle to turn a defender inside-out and the ability to use deception and high-end lateral agility to open up shooting and passing lanes.
Grade: A
One pick after taking the best bet for a top-pairing RD, the Devils took the best bet for a second-pairing RD. And the pick looks even better when we consider we would be underselling Casey to say he doesn’t have top-pairing upside himself.
3rd Round — TRADE
G Vitek Vanicek, Washington Capitals
As everyone knows, goaltending was the #1 reason the Devils were a lottery team in the first place. Fitzgerald made a bold move to address this with a deal for Vanicek. Though by no means an elite goaltender, Vanicek is clearly an NHL-average netminder who is just entering his prime.
An RFA, Vanicek will not break the bank in contract negotiations as Darcy Kuemper might have, nor did he break the bank in trade assets — a 3rd round pick seems a small price to pay for a player who, combined with a hopefully-healthy Mackenzie Blackwood, could vault the Devils up the division standings in 2022-23.
4th Round, #102 overall
G Tyler Brennan, Prince George WHL
This is a pick which, if if works out even close to optimum potential, will be remembered as pure genius. Statistics can be deceiving for skaters when evaluating draft prospects, but far far moreso for goaltenders. Brennan would simply not have fallen past the 2nd round were he between the pipes for a top-end CHL team instead of the woeful Prince George Cougars.
But the fact remains that Brennan’s stats suffered as a result of being under fire game-in and game-out, and as such the Devils found themselves in the 4th round with Brennan staring them in the face. Make no mistake, Brennan is a 6’4-185 physical freak who might be the most athletic netminder in the entire 2022 class. I’ve had more than one goalie scout inform me — although goalies are notoriously difficult to project — Brennan has the upside of a high-end, star #1 goalie at the NHL level. Getting a player of this potential in the 4th round, especially for the Devils, can only be described as an absolute windfall.
Grade: A+
The best value pick in the 2022 draft for the Devils, but we’re going to have to be patient. If he becomes the Devils starting goalie one day, which on talent alone he is clearly capable of, this pick will become the stuff of legend.
4th Round, #110 Overall
LD Daniil Orlov, Sakhalinskiye MHL
The only problem with this pick is positional and not based on Orlov, which is to say the Devils are almost unbelievably stacked at LD in the prospect pool. Whereas, on most teams Orlov would enter the prospect depth chart at #2 or #3, on the Devils he has to fight through a world of talent, from Luke Hughes to Shakir Mukhamadullin to Nikita Okhotyuk to Kevin Bahl to Michael Vukojevic to Daniil Misyul and so on.
But judging Orlov, it’s possible to assume he was far and away the highest ranked prospect on the Devils draft board. Orlov is quite simply an elite skater — this kid is absolutely explosive. But he’s not a fast, all-offensive guy — Orlov is a defense-first, 6’2-185 player who is almost impossible to beat wide or off the rush even for the speediest MHL forwards. He’s smart with the puck and tremendous in his positioning and gaps. In fact, if there’s any weakness to his game it’s that he’s so conservative offensively and would rather make a safe play than use his advanced mobility and smarts to generate scoring chances. However, Orlov also has a big weapon with his shot, which is an absolute blast from the point.
The argument could be made that the Devils would have been better off swinging for a high-upside forward with this pick. But the fact remains that Orlov was the second best shut-down LD from Russia on the board after only Arseni Koromyslov, and also possesses sneaky offensive upside. As such, he’s a very projectable mid-pairing NHL defender and NJ got him at a high value spot in the 4th round.
Grade: B+
There were some high-upside forwards available, but we can’t put that on Orlov, who in a vacuum was a terrific pick this late in the draft.
4th Round, #126 Overall
RD Charlie Leddy, US-NTDP
The Devils weren’t done filling the RD coffers, going back to the US-NTDP to grab a shut-down, stay-at-home defenseman in Charlie Leddy. Though some did not rank Leddy this high, I did — slotting him in my final rankings at #116 overall. It’s possible that with some defensive-oriented defensemen, people always look at size, and the 6’1-185 Connecticut native was not “hulking” enough for them. But upon closer inspection, there’s a lot to like here.
Though goaltending, coaching and special teams were largely blamed for the Devils poor finish in 2021-22, some of the more subtle aspects were largely ignored. For one, the Devils were the worst shot-blocking team in the entire Metropolitan Division, and it wasn’t really close. Charlie Leddy might be the best shot-blocker in the entire draft, and enters the NJ organization as probably the best shot-blocker the Devils have had since Andy Greene was traded.
Concurrently, Leddy’s entire defensive game is rock-solid. He’s physical without being ferocious in any sense. He is positionally sound and very advanced in his gaps and defensive awareness. Without being flashy in any sense whatsoever, he’s smart with the puck and rarely makes mental mistakes. His offensive game is strictly functional, but his skating is quite adept and he’s smart with the puck and can defend against the rush.
Grade: A-
For Devils fans, you’ll see several qualities reminiscent of an Andy Greene or a Jonas Siegenthaler. Far from a flashy or glamorous pick, Charlie Leddy is rock solid in every sense of the words, and the Devils need players like this.
5th Round, #141 Overall
RW Petr Hauser, HC Sparta Praha Czech U20
The Devils sorely need interior forwards, and they found a 6’4-205 crease-crasher who dominated in the lightly-regarded Czech junior circuit. There’s a lot to like with Hauser — he’s actually got a nice set of hands, and he shoots and passes at a higher level than the average “power forward”.
Hauser has a singular problem of being a well below average skater. Although this is not going to affect your production when you’re the biggest player on the ice in a lesser junior league, as Hauser moves up through to higher levels, it is a trait which will need improvement if he hopes to have an NHL career.
If the skating can rise a couple notches, this could be a very good, big-body with skill for an NHL bottom 6. But it must be mentioned that there is a long way to go in this respect. Devils fans will need to watch and wait.
Grade: C
Hopefully, Hauser proves me wrong. But he reminds me a bit of the failed Salminen pick last year in that the skating is just not close to NHL caliber. However, the Salminen pick was bad because it was 3 or 4 rounds too early, whereas taking a flyer on the big-bodied and skilled Hauser in the 5th makes a bit more sense.
6th Round, #166 Overall
LW Josh Filmon, Swift Current WHL
The Devils took their first, and only, home run swing at forward in a draft which clearly focused on high-floor players and RD. Filmon is a rangy, 6’2-160 winger who spends most of his time in the interior, which the Devils need. The reason he fell so far might be because he lacks the strength to achieve what he would like in the interior. This is the penultimate player who, as he fills out his frame in the weight room and with age, could blossom into a terrific middle-6 forward at the NHL level.
All the tools and intangibles are clearly there. Filmon checks the skills across the board — he’s a very good skater with a very high IQ. He has plus capabilities in shooting, playmaking and puckhandling. There’s really nothing not to like except he’s a bit raw and will require patience in his development. His role increased all season long on a middling Broncos team, but his progression was excellent all season long and is cause for great optimism in his projectability.
Grade: A
After wasting picks on low-floor, low-upside forwards like Baumgartner and Shlaine with later round picks in the past two drafts, NJ shoots for the moon by returning to the late 2010s high-upside swings which gave the team players like Bratt and Sharangovich and Gritsyuk.
7th Round, #198 Overall
RD Artyom Barabosha, Krasnaya Moskva MHL
Maybe my personal favorite pick of the draft, the Devils showed why their Russian scouting might be tops in the NHL while addressing a lack of physicality which has plagued their blueline for over a decade.
If I had to say it in one sentence: “Artyom Barabosha is one of the most physical defensemen to come out of the draft in years, but he’s also a lot more than that.”
This kid lays the hammer on any opposing forward with the gumption to test his side of the ice, and may have been the most intimidating defender in the MHL this year. His pancake hit on Juraj Slafkovsky is the stuff of near-legend, and his immense strength belies his 6’2-190 frame. But Barabosha is also a heady, shut-down defender who may have been the best defensive RD in the MHL this year; good with his gaps and positioning and near-impossible to beat in one-on-one battles along the boards or in the crease.
Where he becomes extremely intriguing is in his undervalued offensive potential — Barabosha is a very good skater who is not afraid to jump into the play or lead the rush himself in transition. He is not strictly a lumbering, hit-everything stay-at-home guy, he’s much more. He’s a deceptively good puck-handler with a silky set of hands, and not a guy his coaches strayed from using when his team was down a goal late in the third.
Defense is clearly Barabosha’s calling card however, as he is a solid passer and shooter, but he’s more functional in those respects than exceptional. However, he’s a high-floor kid who can be the perfect pairing for an offensive minded LD, even as high as in an NHL top 4.
Grade: A+
In a draft where all of the Russians fell due to political unrest, Barabosha still should have been gone by Round 3. In any other draft, he would have been a worthy 2nd round pick. At #198 overall, getting a ferociously physical, shut-down D with very good skates is an absolute home run.
DEVILS FINAL DRAFT GRADE: A-
Not perfect, but certainly an excellent draft. The Devils displayed vision and strategy all throughout the draft. After getting a high-floor, surefire franchise building block in RD Simon Nemec, NJ filled a previously-empty RD prospect pool and still found the time to grab a high-upside winger and, with the best value pick they made, possibly found a future starting goaltender in the immensely talented Tyler Brennan. Though the Devils ignored another gap in the prospect pool at center, they hit on picks all through the draft and exit the 2022 draft with a top 3 prospect pool in the entire NHL.
GM Tom Fitzgerald entered the 2022 draft under no small amount of adversity. A large portion of the fan-base, impatient with the latest incarnation of an almost decade-long rebuild, was up in arms across the social media landscape calling for a trade of the #2 overall pick for a top 6 forward who could contribute now.
According to many sources, Fitzgerald tried to achieve precisely this — in the effort to pry world-class power forward Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames. However, his efforts proved fruitless. Still, kudos must be given to Fitzgerald for the effort, as well as not overpaying for some of the previously available forward talents not on Tkachuk’s talent-level.
More adversity soon compounded the situation, when the Devils reported top choice for the #2 overall pick, the sublimely skilled and 6’4 LW Juraj Slafkovsky — a perfect fit for what the Devils needed with an interior, high-skill winger — was somewhat surprisingly taken #1 overall by Montreal. Would the Devils take the consensus #2 player Shane Wright, despite a sub-par draft-eligible campaign and already possessing two top centers in Hughes and Hischier? Would they make a panic move to trade the pick?
In the end, Fitzgerald proved he had a plan for the 2022 draft, and he would stick to it. This is notable, in that his first two drafts — 2020 and 2021 — both proved troublesome for many fans. Though his top 20 picks were very high-quality and well thought out — RW Alexander Holtz, RW/C Dawson Mercer and LD Luke Hughes — there was certainly a lack of cohesive draft strategy thereafter. Pretty much every non-goaltender pick made after #20 in both the 2020 and 2021 draft was problematic with the sole exception of 7th rounder Zakhar Bardakov in 2021. Picks were virtually burned on players it seemed had remote hope at best to reach the NHL, from Benjamin Baumgartner (6th round, 2020) to Samu Salminen (3rd round, 2021).
In 2022, Fitzgerald turned this around for the better. The draft clearly hinged on a strategy of filling the organizational black hole at RD, drafting a litany of high-floor players and swinging for the moon with a highly talented goaltender. The Devils front office and scouting staff stuck to a very smart game-plan and knocked it out of the park with a terrific haul of young talent.
1st Round, #2 Overall
RD Simon Nemec, HK Nitra Slovakia
The Devils resisted the temptation to go with the consensus top-rated player in C Shane Wright. Though some will point the finger at “positional need” in this decision, the fact remains that 3 consecutive teams passed on the one-time consensus top overall pick, and he may not have done well in the interview process. But what the Devils selected instead was not some need-based stretch, but instead a potential high-scoring, superstar #1 defenseman at the NHL level.
The young Slovakian is an outstanding skater who is absolutely elite in his playmaking and transition games. His IQ is off the charts and his play with the puck is incredibly advanced for a teenager in a men’s league. Nemec is so smooth with the puck and his distribution of it, it almost seems as if he was born to play hockey. In the Slovakian men’s league, Nemec broke every record imaginable for a teenaged defenseman. In the playoffs, somehow he found another, much higher, gear and broke every teenaged playoff scoring record imaginable — not just for defensemen, but for any position.
Nemec is also extremely solid in most defensive aspects, and projects to be an all-situations defenseman at the NHL level. He needs a lot of work in this respect, as he has trouble defending against the rush and against speed. But his high awareness and plus-skating lends to the belief he can improve in these respects. Once in the defensive zone, Nemec is very adept at separating opposition from pucks with positioning and shoulder-checks, he’s very competitive and makes good decisions. Once he gets the puck is where he shines the most, he’s just so smart and so good at making quick reads and getting the puck out of danger.
Make no mistake, Simon Nemec is a high-floor young man with the ceiling of a 50+ point, two-way NHL defenseman. Whatever led to his selection by the New Jersey Devils, he’s going to be a very good player for a very long time.
GRADE: A-
Only Slafkovsky would have been an A+ here, but to be clear: he might be the most talented RD the Devils have drafted in their history.
2nd Round, #46 Overall
RD Seamus Casey, US-NTDP
The Devils went right back to the RD well with Casey in Round 2, and it’s quite possible he was their top ranked player at any position. On this year’s US-NTDP, Lane Hutson was the runaway best offensive defender, while Ryan Chesley was the runaway best defensive defender. But there is also little doubt who was the team’s best two-way defender, and that was this Miami, Florida raised, high-IQ rearguard.
Even before the draft, two of the players I compared Casey to were — now, humorously — Devils in Brian Rafalski and Andy Greene. Because, like that pair, the only knock against Casey is his size — 5’10-175. But Casey is not a typical undersized D, an all-offense speed demon who you’re biting your nails won’t get beat every time he’s playing in his own zone. Ultimately, I’d say defense is the strongest aspect of Casey’s game. He’s an ace shot-blocker who plays with the calm, positional savvy and gap-control of a 10-year NHL veteran. He is actually quite adept in puck battles against much-larger opposition forwards, and plays with elite defensive awareness to match a high compete level.
In transition and in the offensive zone, Casey is the rare D who combines high-level tools and offensive acumen with a two-way mind-set — this is to say he’s always thinking of new, creative ways to generate offense without sacrificing defense in order to achieve this. Whereas many of the offensive defensemen in the 2022 class are responsible for as many high-danger chances against as for, Casey is quite the opposite. His rushes and pinches are always smart and focused, it’s rare to see him make any sort of mental mistake.
Skill-wise, Casey’s pretty much got it all — his skating is just shy of elite, while his passing is absolutely elite and his puck-handling is possibly his finest tool of all — this kid is a magician when he’s feeling it with the puck on his stick. He’s a kid who can turn a nothing play at the point into a high-danger scoring chance with an amazing dangle to turn a defender inside-out and the ability to use deception and high-end lateral agility to open up shooting and passing lanes.
Grade: A
One pick after taking the best bet for a top-pairing RD, the Devils took the best bet for a second-pairing RD. And the pick looks even better when we consider we would be underselling Casey to say he doesn’t have top-pairing upside himself.
3rd Round — TRADE
G Vitek Vanicek, Washington Capitals
As everyone knows, goaltending was the #1 reason the Devils were a lottery team in the first place. Fitzgerald made a bold move to address this with a deal for Vanicek. Though by no means an elite goaltender, Vanicek is clearly an NHL-average netminder who is just entering his prime.
An RFA, Vanicek will not break the bank in contract negotiations as Darcy Kuemper might have, nor did he break the bank in trade assets — a 3rd round pick seems a small price to pay for a player who, combined with a hopefully-healthy Mackenzie Blackwood, could vault the Devils up the division standings in 2022-23.
4th Round, #102 overall
G Tyler Brennan, Prince George WHL
This is a pick which, if if works out even close to optimum potential, will be remembered as pure genius. Statistics can be deceiving for skaters when evaluating draft prospects, but far far moreso for goaltenders. Brennan would simply not have fallen past the 2nd round were he between the pipes for a top-end CHL team instead of the woeful Prince George Cougars.
But the fact remains that Brennan’s stats suffered as a result of being under fire game-in and game-out, and as such the Devils found themselves in the 4th round with Brennan staring them in the face. Make no mistake, Brennan is a 6’4-185 physical freak who might be the most athletic netminder in the entire 2022 class. I’ve had more than one goalie scout inform me — although goalies are notoriously difficult to project — Brennan has the upside of a high-end, star #1 goalie at the NHL level. Getting a player of this potential in the 4th round, especially for the Devils, can only be described as an absolute windfall.
Grade: A+
The best value pick in the 2022 draft for the Devils, but we’re going to have to be patient. If he becomes the Devils starting goalie one day, which on talent alone he is clearly capable of, this pick will become the stuff of legend.
4th Round, #110 Overall
LD Daniil Orlov, Sakhalinskiye MHL
The only problem with this pick is positional and not based on Orlov, which is to say the Devils are almost unbelievably stacked at LD in the prospect pool. Whereas, on most teams Orlov would enter the prospect depth chart at #2 or #3, on the Devils he has to fight through a world of talent, from Luke Hughes to Shakir Mukhamadullin to Nikita Okhotyuk to Kevin Bahl to Michael Vukojevic to Daniil Misyul and so on.
But judging Orlov, it’s possible to assume he was far and away the highest ranked prospect on the Devils draft board. Orlov is quite simply an elite skater — this kid is absolutely explosive. But he’s not a fast, all-offensive guy — Orlov is a defense-first, 6’2-185 player who is almost impossible to beat wide or off the rush even for the speediest MHL forwards. He’s smart with the puck and tremendous in his positioning and gaps. In fact, if there’s any weakness to his game it’s that he’s so conservative offensively and would rather make a safe play than use his advanced mobility and smarts to generate scoring chances. However, Orlov also has a big weapon with his shot, which is an absolute blast from the point.
The argument could be made that the Devils would have been better off swinging for a high-upside forward with this pick. But the fact remains that Orlov was the second best shut-down LD from Russia on the board after only Arseni Koromyslov, and also possesses sneaky offensive upside. As such, he’s a very projectable mid-pairing NHL defender and NJ got him at a high value spot in the 4th round.
Grade: B+
There were some high-upside forwards available, but we can’t put that on Orlov, who in a vacuum was a terrific pick this late in the draft.
4th Round, #126 Overall
RD Charlie Leddy, US-NTDP
The Devils weren’t done filling the RD coffers, going back to the US-NTDP to grab a shut-down, stay-at-home defenseman in Charlie Leddy. Though some did not rank Leddy this high, I did — slotting him in my final rankings at #116 overall. It’s possible that with some defensive-oriented defensemen, people always look at size, and the 6’1-185 Connecticut native was not “hulking” enough for them. But upon closer inspection, there’s a lot to like here.
Though goaltending, coaching and special teams were largely blamed for the Devils poor finish in 2021-22, some of the more subtle aspects were largely ignored. For one, the Devils were the worst shot-blocking team in the entire Metropolitan Division, and it wasn’t really close. Charlie Leddy might be the best shot-blocker in the entire draft, and enters the NJ organization as probably the best shot-blocker the Devils have had since Andy Greene was traded.
Concurrently, Leddy’s entire defensive game is rock-solid. He’s physical without being ferocious in any sense. He is positionally sound and very advanced in his gaps and defensive awareness. Without being flashy in any sense whatsoever, he’s smart with the puck and rarely makes mental mistakes. His offensive game is strictly functional, but his skating is quite adept and he’s smart with the puck and can defend against the rush.
Grade: A-
For Devils fans, you’ll see several qualities reminiscent of an Andy Greene or a Jonas Siegenthaler. Far from a flashy or glamorous pick, Charlie Leddy is rock solid in every sense of the words, and the Devils need players like this.
5th Round, #141 Overall
RW Petr Hauser, HC Sparta Praha Czech U20
The Devils sorely need interior forwards, and they found a 6’4-205 crease-crasher who dominated in the lightly-regarded Czech junior circuit. There’s a lot to like with Hauser — he’s actually got a nice set of hands, and he shoots and passes at a higher level than the average “power forward”.
Hauser has a singular problem of being a well below average skater. Although this is not going to affect your production when you’re the biggest player on the ice in a lesser junior league, as Hauser moves up through to higher levels, it is a trait which will need improvement if he hopes to have an NHL career.
If the skating can rise a couple notches, this could be a very good, big-body with skill for an NHL bottom 6. But it must be mentioned that there is a long way to go in this respect. Devils fans will need to watch and wait.
Grade: C
Hopefully, Hauser proves me wrong. But he reminds me a bit of the failed Salminen pick last year in that the skating is just not close to NHL caliber. However, the Salminen pick was bad because it was 3 or 4 rounds too early, whereas taking a flyer on the big-bodied and skilled Hauser in the 5th makes a bit more sense.
6th Round, #166 Overall
LW Josh Filmon, Swift Current WHL
The Devils took their first, and only, home run swing at forward in a draft which clearly focused on high-floor players and RD. Filmon is a rangy, 6’2-160 winger who spends most of his time in the interior, which the Devils need. The reason he fell so far might be because he lacks the strength to achieve what he would like in the interior. This is the penultimate player who, as he fills out his frame in the weight room and with age, could blossom into a terrific middle-6 forward at the NHL level.
All the tools and intangibles are clearly there. Filmon checks the skills across the board — he’s a very good skater with a very high IQ. He has plus capabilities in shooting, playmaking and puckhandling. There’s really nothing not to like except he’s a bit raw and will require patience in his development. His role increased all season long on a middling Broncos team, but his progression was excellent all season long and is cause for great optimism in his projectability.
Grade: A
After wasting picks on low-floor, low-upside forwards like Baumgartner and Shlaine with later round picks in the past two drafts, NJ shoots for the moon by returning to the late 2010s high-upside swings which gave the team players like Bratt and Sharangovich and Gritsyuk.
7th Round, #198 Overall
RD Artyom Barabosha, Krasnaya Moskva MHL
Maybe my personal favorite pick of the draft, the Devils showed why their Russian scouting might be tops in the NHL while addressing a lack of physicality which has plagued their blueline for over a decade.
If I had to say it in one sentence: “Artyom Barabosha is one of the most physical defensemen to come out of the draft in years, but he’s also a lot more than that.”
This kid lays the hammer on any opposing forward with the gumption to test his side of the ice, and may have been the most intimidating defender in the MHL this year. His pancake hit on Juraj Slafkovsky is the stuff of near-legend, and his immense strength belies his 6’2-190 frame. But Barabosha is also a heady, shut-down defender who may have been the best defensive RD in the MHL this year; good with his gaps and positioning and near-impossible to beat in one-on-one battles along the boards or in the crease.
Where he becomes extremely intriguing is in his undervalued offensive potential — Barabosha is a very good skater who is not afraid to jump into the play or lead the rush himself in transition. He is not strictly a lumbering, hit-everything stay-at-home guy, he’s much more. He’s a deceptively good puck-handler with a silky set of hands, and not a guy his coaches strayed from using when his team was down a goal late in the third.
Defense is clearly Barabosha’s calling card however, as he is a solid passer and shooter, but he’s more functional in those respects than exceptional. However, he’s a high-floor kid who can be the perfect pairing for an offensive minded LD, even as high as in an NHL top 4.
Grade: A+
In a draft where all of the Russians fell due to political unrest, Barabosha still should have been gone by Round 3. In any other draft, he would have been a worthy 2nd round pick. At #198 overall, getting a ferociously physical, shut-down D with very good skates is an absolute home run.
DEVILS FINAL DRAFT GRADE: A-
Not perfect, but certainly an excellent draft. The Devils displayed vision and strategy all throughout the draft. After getting a high-floor, surefire franchise building block in RD Simon Nemec, NJ filled a previously-empty RD prospect pool and still found the time to grab a high-upside winger and, with the best value pick they made, possibly found a future starting goaltender in the immensely talented Tyler Brennan. Though the Devils ignored another gap in the prospect pool at center, they hit on picks all through the draft and exit the 2022 draft with a top 3 prospect pool in the entire NHL.
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