No one would would even think of ranking Stillman as one of our top prospects if we drafted him in the 3rd round and he produced the way he has. He’s closer to a non-prospect than one of our top prospects.
Stillman has a pretty high floor and is a very likely bottom 6 NHL forward. He skates well and plays a two-way high energy game with extreme physicality. He is absolutely a prospect.
It's a pretty foregone conclusion that Alex Holtz is the top right-shooting winger prospect in the Devils organization, but it's a crap shoot as to who will have the best NHL career behind Holtz. Arguments could be made for and against Stillman, Clarke, Hauser, Hameenaho, Squires, Thompson and Moynihan. With Stillman, Moynihan, Hameenaho and Hauser the point scoring is almost ancillary, since all of them employ the type of games which would be projected to bottom 6 roles. The scoring totals are probably more relevant for Clarke, Thompson and Squires -- whose overall games are probably more dependent on offensive production.
Out of all the Devils actual prospects drafted since 2020, the only ones I would say are already "non-prospects" would be Baumgartner, Hurtig, Pytlik and Salminen. Everyone else I'd say still at least has a shot at the NHL.
Reid Boucher just scored twice as many goals as Grits for Omsk this past reg season. And then 3 times as many playoff goals.
Schmid was the best NJ goalie statistically this past season.
I took the guy who played really well in the NHL.
Boucher is a veteran. Gritsyuk is still a kid. Boucher could never make it as a top 6 NHLer and lacked the qualities to make it in a bottom 6 role. Gritsyuk absolutely possesses top 6 upside, and his developing all-around game suggests he could be a versatile player to slot throughout an NHL lineup.
But I'm not going to argue with you on Schmid. I really like his potential.