GDT: 2023 Prospects Challenge, Sept. 15th-18th - LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, NY

[OmNomNom]

lol our D is terrible

 

[FinnishDevil]

This game is early even for me.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I'm definitely intrigued to see Clarke in training camp. He stands out here in this tournament for obvious reasons.

 

[Guadana]

This is the moment that can help to be first call up for Misyul.

And moment after the moment that will not help.

 

[OmNomNom]

misyul puck to right ankle

 

[AfroThunder396]

This shouldn't be surprising to anyone, of our top-5 prospects only one is actually here and he isn't playing today. Filmon looks great, Clarke still has a chance of being an NHL player, the rest of this roster is AHL fodder or worse.

I like Misyul though, I can see him getting NHL games.

 

[OmNomNom]

Filmon getting love by commentary

Mercer's looked pretty good for a goalie PTO

 

[devilsblood]

I'm still offended by his comments 22 years later.

There is a back story to that comment.

 

[Devs3cups]

Nice Squires!

 

[Chainshot]

I wish Mercer had hit that empty net. That would've been memorable.

 

[JimEIV]

There is a back story to that comment.

Yes I know about the death of his friend...still, his message was disturbing to me. We all deal with adversity and even tragedy...but the mark of a champion, hell, a man, is dealing with those problems while meeting your obligations.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Pretty telling they are making Clarke play another game and not Nemec or Stillman.

One has a good chance to make the team, so might as well not play. One has 0 chance to make the team, so might as well not play

 

[evnted]

not that this tournament is anything too significant, but figured id drop some thoughts i had. tried to focus on the bigger name guys, recent picks, and anyone who also caught my eye. skimming this thread, it seems like theres a decent amount of agreement here

Brown - pretty much aligned with my big write-up on him, dont think there were a ton of results here, but the eye test made him feel a little better than a 6th round pick. high level moments of stickhandling, confidence on the puck, and driving some tougher scoring lanes, but in the same breath plenty of times i just wasnt noticing him in any capacity. hope it comes together for him with the bulldogs this year

Clarke - ultimately im just gonna say wait and see what happens in main camp but this wasnt really a great showing. couple of very nice shots for sure, but a lot of flubbed plays, and unfortunately a lot of disappearing acts, too. for someone who said he was molding his game to mesh more in a bottom 6 role, you couldnt really tell. now of course this could just be a bad showing, this tournament doesnt mean much after all, but this is not what you look like if youre gunning for a main roster spot

Filmon - theres a lot to be excited for here, but the tournament certainly served to reinforce how far he still has to go. shooting ability is obvious, the effort level (including off puck) was strong, and i actually thought he had a couple flashes of higher end vision, but theres a reason i say flashes because he botched a ton of plays too. playmaking game was way too telegraphed and his body/skating continue to look underdeveloped albeit a bit improved. plenty to work on here, but again he was only just taken in the 6th round. not everyone can be bratt and become an NHLer this quickly lol hes still very intriguing

Isley - im not really writing about him from the standpoint of thinking hes gonna be anything, but there were more than a few times i noticed him in a positive way, defensively by making a couple breakups that were impressive enough for me to double check the lines to make sure he wasnt actually a defender, and offensively he had pretty good pace to his game and drove the net well. positive showing for someone who i barely knew existed a few days ago

Misyul - bit of a mixed bag tournament for me but still generally like what i saw. the good was his heavy shot, physical play, moments of shutdown ability, and poise on the puck in the offensive zone. the bad was his puck management, vision, and frequency with which he was chasing guys. brings a number of covetable qualities you want in a defender but needs work. already in playoff form taking that shot to the ankle and basically not missing a shift lol

Nemec - obviously at a higher level than anyone else we (and most others) iced this tournament. vision, playmaking, mobility all as elite as ever. carried over the improved shot and physical edge he was developing in utica. bit better with his ability to play man on man and maintain sound positioning in own zone but still has lapses. much more tactical with when he pinches vs drops back, or when he tries to lead a rush vs opt for a breakout pass, which was one of the more frustrating aspects of his camp last year. still dont love how passive he can look getting back to his zone at times, and i know the whole composure thing is just part of who he is, but i do think he needs to add some urgency here. the talent level is obvious and if we werent prime competitors id have a much easier time penciling him in for this season, but with where we stand today its tough. barring a huge main camp performance, im anticipating he starts in utica and potentially finds his way up later in the year

Parent - once upon a time he actually had some decent pedigree as an underage prospect but it seemed a lot of players eventually caught up to him (plus never really growing hurt his cause too). that said, the skill, tempo, and chippiness to his game were appreciated this tournament. as tiny as he is, i felt his impact most of the time he was on the ice. he moved the puck very well even if he was a little overzealous at times, and he would really make life difficult around the net for the opposing team. goes without saying itll be an uphill battle for him (factoring size, having to scale his game to the AHL level now, etc.) but you never know

Squires - a lot of simple, smart, under the radar plays. supported teammates along the boards well, made effective passes in transition, challenged goalies with a nice snappy shot, and worked hard to put himself in prime scoring locations. proved to be an effective forechecker as well as backchecker even if his impact wasnt anything that impactful at this point. felt he improved over the course of the games as well. as i said when we picked him, nothing majorly standout for now, but someone i felt comfortable with on the ice

Vilen - dont think his showing was a great reflection of his current ability at this point. fundamentals of his game were definitely evident (in zone defensive play, transitional game, smart decision making, etc.) just not with the consistency i mightve expected to see. too many silly mistakes and mishandlings of the puck. his development curve thus far has felt pretty sharp, so im still pretty optimistic to see where he could be after a full season in utica, but a bit inconsistent in these games

 

[JimEIV]

not that this tournament is anything too significant, but figured id drop some thoughts i had. tried to focus on the bigger name guys, recent picks, and anyone who also caught my eye. skimming this thread, it seems like theres a decent amount of agreement here

Brown - pretty much aligned with my big write-up on him, dont think there were a ton of results here, but the eye test made him feel a little better than a 6th round pick. high level moments of stickhandling, confidence on the puck, and driving some tougher scoring lanes, but in the same breath plenty of times i just wasnt noticing him in any capacity. hope it comes together for him with the bulldogs this year

Clarke - ultimately im just gonna say wait and see what happens in main camp but this wasnt really a great showing. couple of very nice shots for sure, but a lot of flubbed plays, and unfortunately a lot of disappearing acts, too. for someone who said he was molding his game to mesh more in a bottom 6 role, you couldnt really tell. now of course this could just be a bad showing, this tournament doesnt mean much after all, but this is not what you look like if youre gunning for a main roster spot

Filmon - theres a lot to be excited for here, but the tournament certainly served to reinforce how far he still has to go. shooting ability is obvious, the effort level (including off puck) was strong, and i actually thought he had a couple flashes of higher end vision, but theres a reason i say flashes because he botched a ton of plays too. playmaking game was way too telegraphed and his body/skating continue to look underdeveloped albeit a bit improved. plenty to work on here, but again he was only just taken in the 6th round. not everyone can be bratt and become an NHLer this quickly lol hes still very intriguing

Isley - im not really writing about him from the standpoint of thinking hes gonna be anything, but there were more than a few times i noticed him in a positive way, defensively by making a couple breakups that were impressive enough for me to double check the lines to make sure he wasnt actually a defender, and offensively he had pretty good pace to his game and drove the net well. positive showing for someone who i barely knew existed a few days ago

Misyul - bit of a mixed bag tournament for me but still generally like what i saw. the good was his heavy shot, physical play, moments of shutdown ability, and poise on the puck in the offensive zone. the bad was his puck management, vision, and frequency with which he was chasing guys. brings a number of covetable qualities you want in a defender but needs work. already in playoff form taking that shot to the ankle and basically not missing a shift lol

Nemec - obviously at a higher level than anyone else we (and most others) iced this tournament. vision, playmaking, mobility all as elite as ever. carried over the improved shot and physical edge he was developing in utica. bit better with his ability to play man on man and maintain sound positioning in own zone but still has lapses. much more tactical with when he pinches vs drops back, or when he tries to lead a rush vs opt for a breakout pass, which was one of the more frustrating aspects of his camp last year. still dont love how passive he can look getting back to his zone at times, and i know the whole composure thing is just part of who he is, but i do think he needs to add some urgency here. the talent level is obvious and if we werent prime competitors id have a much easier time penciling him in for this season, but with where we stand today its tough. barring a huge main camp performance, im anticipating he starts in utica and potentially finds his way up later in the year

Parent - once upon a time he actually had some decent pedigree as an underage prospect but it seemed a lot of players eventually caught up to him (plus never really growing hurt his cause too). that said, the skill, tempo, and chippiness to his game were appreciated this tournament. as tiny as he is, i felt his impact most of the time he was on the ice. he moved the puck very well even if he was a little overzealous at times, and he would really make life difficult around the net for the opposing team. goes without saying itll be an uphill battle for him (factoring size, having to scale his game to the AHL level now, etc.) but you never know

Squires - a lot of simple, smart, under the radar plays. supported teammates along the boards well, made effective passes in transition, challenged goalies with a nice snappy shot, and worked hard to put himself in prime scoring locations. proved to be an effective forechecker as well as backchecker even if his impact wasnt anything that impactful at this point. felt he improved over the course of the games as well. as i said when we picked him, nothing majorly standout for now, but someone i felt comfortable with on the ice

Vilen - dont think his showing was a great reflection of his current ability at this point. fundamentals of his game were definitely evident (in zone defensive play, transitional game, smart decision making, etc.) just not with the consistency i mightve expected to see. too many silly mistakes and mishandlings of the puck. his development curve thus far has felt pretty sharp, so im still pretty optimistic to see where he could be after a full season in utica, but a bit inconsistent in these games

Very nice read and excellent observations. Thanks.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

i think it’s important with prospects like Vilen to recognize that not every good NHL player was ready for the big show by 20 years old. Realistically he could have another 5 years of development ahead of him before he’s a quality NHLer, if he ever gets there.

 

[Guadana]

not that this tournament is anything too significant, but figured id drop some thoughts i had. tried to focus on the bigger name guys, recent picks, and anyone who also caught my eye. skimming this thread, it seems like theres a decent amount of agreement here

Brown - pretty much aligned with my big write-up on him, dont think there were a ton of results here, but the eye test made him feel a little better than a 6th round pick. high level moments of stickhandling, confidence on the puck, and driving some tougher scoring lanes, but in the same breath plenty of times i just wasnt noticing him in any capacity. hope it comes together for him with the bulldogs this year

Clarke - ultimately im just gonna say wait and see what happens in main camp but this wasnt really a great showing. couple of very nice shots for sure, but a lot of flubbed plays, and unfortunately a lot of disappearing acts, too. for someone who said he was molding his game to mesh more in a bottom 6 role, you couldnt really tell. now of course this could just be a bad showing, this tournament doesnt mean much after all, but this is not what you look like if youre gunning for a main roster spot

Filmon - theres a lot to be excited for here, but the tournament certainly served to reinforce how far he still has to go. shooting ability is obvious, the effort level (including off puck) was strong, and i actually thought he had a couple flashes of higher end vision, but theres a reason i say flashes because he botched a ton of plays too. playmaking game was way too telegraphed and his body/skating continue to look underdeveloped albeit a bit improved. plenty to work on here, but again he was only just taken in the 6th round. not everyone can be bratt and become an NHLer this quickly lol hes still very intriguing

Isley - im not really writing about him from the standpoint of thinking hes gonna be anything, but there were more than a few times i noticed him in a positive way, defensively by making a couple breakups that were impressive enough for me to double check the lines to make sure he wasnt actually a defender, and offensively he had pretty good pace to his game and drove the net well. positive showing for someone who i barely knew existed a few days ago

Misyul - bit of a mixed bag tournament for me but still generally like what i saw. the good was his heavy shot, physical play, moments of shutdown ability, and poise on the puck in the offensive zone. the bad was his puck management, vision, and frequency with which he was chasing guys. brings a number of covetable qualities you want in a defender but needs work. already in playoff form taking that shot to the ankle and basically not missing a shift lol

Nemec - obviously at a higher level than anyone else we (and most others) iced this tournament. vision, playmaking, mobility all as elite as ever. carried over the improved shot and physical edge he was developing in utica. bit better with his ability to play man on man and maintain sound positioning in own zone but still has lapses. much more tactical with when he pinches vs drops back, or when he tries to lead a rush vs opt for a breakout pass, which was one of the more frustrating aspects of his camp last year. still dont love how passive he can look getting back to his zone at times, and i know the whole composure thing is just part of who he is, but i do think he needs to add some urgency here. the talent level is obvious and if we werent prime competitors id have a much easier time penciling him in for this season, but with where we stand today its tough. barring a huge main camp performance, im anticipating he starts in utica and potentially finds his way up later in the year

Parent - once upon a time he actually had some decent pedigree as an underage prospect but it seemed a lot of players eventually caught up to him (plus never really growing hurt his cause too). that said, the skill, tempo, and chippiness to his game were appreciated this tournament. as tiny as he is, i felt his impact most of the time he was on the ice. he moved the puck very well even if he was a little overzealous at times, and he would really make life difficult around the net for the opposing team. goes without saying itll be an uphill battle for him (factoring size, having to scale his game to the AHL level now, etc.) but you never know

Squires - a lot of simple, smart, under the radar plays. supported teammates along the boards well, made effective passes in transition, challenged goalies with a nice snappy shot, and worked hard to put himself in prime scoring locations. proved to be an effective forechecker as well as backchecker even if his impact wasnt anything that impactful at this point. felt he improved over the course of the games as well. as i said when we picked him, nothing majorly standout for now, but someone i felt comfortable with on the ice

Vilen - dont think his showing was a great reflection of his current ability at this point. fundamentals of his game were definitely evident (in zone defensive play, transitional game, smart decision making, etc.) just not with the consistency i mightve expected to see. too many silly mistakes and mishandlings of the puck. his development curve thus far has felt pretty sharp, so im still pretty optimistic to see where he could be after a full season in utica, but a bit inconsistent in these games

Great read, I agree mostly.

Im happy with my rankings and my scouting, im not very happy with what Devils have in the moment outside top prospects.

Like I said Misyul wasnt great with puck management and decision making with the puck but I couldnt imagine he will be much better than most of the players in the prospect pool. He looked like a pro(he actually is), but he is worser prospect who played more limited role than Bardakov and Gritsyuk. He isnt as talented as Orlov or Karpovich and he isnt as good with the puck. So our prospect pool is all about defensemen, Lenny, Gritsyuk, Holtz, Bardakov and thats all.

Vilen made a lot of good stuff I like. He made some mistakes I didnt. Its interesting where is his fault there, because there are not a lot of structure on this games. Distance is a thing that work with understanding from your partners where they should be and why. Like his potential, transition game, his skating with the puck.

Filmon should walk through the big path. I could say I... liked what I see from Squires, but again he doesnt have all the tools for his potential role. Both have NHL potential, both should walk through a lot. Filmon is very raw, not a good skater, but we dont rush him. May be if he will take everything together, he will be okay complimentary player. Squires? I dont know, its too early. May be not a bad pick, but I would name some available players with much better ceiling.

Brown was weak in puck battles. Clarke is not a NHLer and I cant say he is even good AHLer for his top-3 role - not a great driving, inconsistent playmaking, very perimeter play, often did nothing on the ice. May be he can be productive as a third liner, if Haula and Palat will be able to make all the work. Not all the dirty work, but every work on the ice. Im not a fan of one minute of flash players. Ibragimov could be a thing if he could have more positional vision, but he dont.

Stillman? Nothing new. May be 4th liner. His vision and positioning arent there.

Parent is AHLer. I believe he could be okay call up for limited role. Isley and Engaras should be a good addition to AHL squad. Hatakka doesnt look like NHLer.

So... Luke\Nemec, Nemec\Luke, Schmid, Holtz\Gritsyuk, Gritsyuk\Holtz, Hameenaho, Casey, Vilen, Bardakov, Orlov, Karopovich are looking like a players with big or interesting\specific NHL potential. Filmon, Misyul, Squires looks like players with... a path. May be they will be better, may be not. I would not waited a lot for now, but they can surprise us. So Im not happy with some drafting decisions, Im not happy with forward drafting in the last few years - only two forwards outside from 1st round are looking promising. And only one is a candidate for top-9 role for now. Filmon has some potential, but I cant pencil him as NHLer now. Hope he will fix his skating, puck battling, coordination,positioning, will develop passing game and will add more muscles. He needs to find open lanes and open space better to be middle six scoring winger in NHL. Some tools are there, but again - very raw for now.

 

[JimEIV]

I know the list height and weights aren't always 100% accurate...but it's wild to see that Parent is listed as 10lbs heavier than Filmon.

 

[RNCDevil]

Clarke - Agreed, he seemed a bit perimeter-y, but I liked his shot and creativity. I would like to see him with better players

Parent - I'm a fan. I just like that he keeps popping up shift after shift.

Mercer the Lesser - Am I insane? He looked like he was well positioned. I liked his game.

McKinnon, Hattaka - Not a fan

Filmon - Maybe I just wanted to like him, but he seemed to also have positive ideas when on the ice (shoot, skate, handle).

I liked the transition work from the Devils this game for the most part, but the forwards generally seem like meat and potatoes folks.

First "game" next Monday. I love the reads we are getting again! Thanks all.

 

[ninetyeight]

I wanna see Clarke with Hughes for 1 pre season game, just to see if there's even a tiny bit of chemistry left there. I feel like he, similar to Holtz is the kinda player that needs to play topline roles and minutes with highly skilled players, but can't since the main roster is so stacked.

 

[Nubmer6]

I know the list height and weights aren't always 100% accurate...but it's wild to see that Parent is listed as 10lbs heavier than Filmon.

Unit conversion error!

 

[Forge]

Lol

When tweets are unserious

 

[Devs3cups]

Lol

When tweets are unserious

Damn, dude is getting flamed in the comments.

He didn’t even get the stats right. He had 2 points lmfao.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/.amp/game-day/devils-rookie-camp-prospects-challenge-game-1-recap

Simon Nemec played a solid game, earning two assists. The second-overall pick looked comfortable, especially in the offensive zone. He showcased his mobility, shot, and play-making ability. Ahead of the tournament, it was announced that the 19-year-old would serve as an alternate captain.

2 points in 2 games while displaying a lot of his elite qualities with a crap lineup surrounding him. He played real good imo.

What a weird tweet.

Even our writers are chiming in lol

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

not that this tournament is anything too significant, but figured id drop some thoughts i had. tried to focus on the bigger name guys, recent picks, and anyone who also caught my eye. skimming this thread, it seems like theres a decent amount of agreement here

Brown - pretty much aligned with my big write-up on him, dont think there were a ton of results here, but the eye test made him feel a little better than a 6th round pick. high level moments of stickhandling, confidence on the puck, and driving some tougher scoring lanes, but in the same breath plenty of times i just wasnt noticing him in any capacity. hope it comes together for him with the bulldogs this year

Clarke - ultimately im just gonna say wait and see what happens in main camp but this wasnt really a great showing. couple of very nice shots for sure, but a lot of flubbed plays, and unfortunately a lot of disappearing acts, too. for someone who said he was molding his game to mesh more in a bottom 6 role, you couldnt really tell. now of course this could just be a bad showing, this tournament doesnt mean much after all, but this is not what you look like if youre gunning for a main roster spot

Filmon - theres a lot to be excited for here, but the tournament certainly served to reinforce how far he still has to go. shooting ability is obvious, the effort level (including off puck) was strong, and i actually thought he had a couple flashes of higher end vision, but theres a reason i say flashes because he botched a ton of plays too. playmaking game was way too telegraphed and his body/skating continue to look underdeveloped albeit a bit improved. plenty to work on here, but again he was only just taken in the 6th round. not everyone can be bratt and become an NHLer this quickly lol hes still very intriguing

Isley - im not really writing about him from the standpoint of thinking hes gonna be anything, but there were more than a few times i noticed him in a positive way, defensively by making a couple breakups that were impressive enough for me to double check the lines to make sure he wasnt actually a defender, and offensively he had pretty good pace to his game and drove the net well. positive showing for someone who i barely knew existed a few days ago

Misyul - bit of a mixed bag tournament for me but still generally like what i saw. the good was his heavy shot, physical play, moments of shutdown ability, and poise on the puck in the offensive zone. the bad was his puck management, vision, and frequency with which he was chasing guys. brings a number of covetable qualities you want in a defender but needs work. already in playoff form taking that shot to the ankle and basically not missing a shift lol

Nemec - obviously at a higher level than anyone else we (and most others) iced this tournament. vision, playmaking, mobility all as elite as ever. carried over the improved shot and physical edge he was developing in utica. bit better with his ability to play man on man and maintain sound positioning in own zone but still has lapses. much more tactical with when he pinches vs drops back, or when he tries to lead a rush vs opt for a breakout pass, which was one of the more frustrating aspects of his camp last year. still dont love how passive he can look getting back to his zone at times, and i know the whole composure thing is just part of who he is, but i do think he needs to add some urgency here. the talent level is obvious and if we werent prime competitors id have a much easier time penciling him in for this season, but with where we stand today its tough. barring a huge main camp performance, im anticipating he starts in utica and potentially finds his way up later in the year

Parent - once upon a time he actually had some decent pedigree as an underage prospect but it seemed a lot of players eventually caught up to him (plus never really growing hurt his cause too). that said, the skill, tempo, and chippiness to his game were appreciated this tournament. as tiny as he is, i felt his impact most of the time he was on the ice. he moved the puck very well even if he was a little overzealous at times, and he would really make life difficult around the net for the opposing team. goes without saying itll be an uphill battle for him (factoring size, having to scale his game to the AHL level now, etc.) but you never know

Squires - a lot of simple, smart, under the radar plays. supported teammates along the boards well, made effective passes in transition, challenged goalies with a nice snappy shot, and worked hard to put himself in prime scoring locations. proved to be an effective forechecker as well as backchecker even if his impact wasnt anything that impactful at this point. felt he improved over the course of the games as well. as i said when we picked him, nothing majorly standout for now, but someone i felt comfortable with on the ice

Vilen - dont think his showing was a great reflection of his current ability at this point. fundamentals of his game were definitely evident (in zone defensive play, transitional game, smart decision making, etc.) just not with the consistency i mightve expected to see. too many silly mistakes and mishandlings of the puck. his development curve thus far has felt pretty sharp, so im still pretty optimistic to see where he could be after a full season in utica, but a bit inconsistent in these games

Thanks for the sparknotes version, lol. I was gonna ask for a run down for anyone who watched but you covered it perfectly for what I was looking for.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Great read, I agree mostly.

Im happy with my rankings and my scouting, im not very happy with what Devils have in the moment outside top prospects.

Like I said Misyul wasnt great with puck management and decision making with the puck but I couldnt imagine he will be much better than most of the players in the prospect pool. He looked like a pro(he actually is), but he is worser prospect who played more limited role than Bardakov and Gritsyuk. He isnt as talented as Orlov or Karpovich and he isnt as good with the puck. So our prospect pool is all about defensemen, Lenny, Gritsyuk, Holtz, Bardakov and thats all.

Vilen made a lot of good stuff I like. He made some mistakes I didnt. Its interesting where is his fault there, because there are not a lot of structure on this games. Distance is a thing that work with understanding from your partners where they should be and why. Like his potential, transition game, his skating with the puck.

Filmon should walk through the big path. I could say I... liked what I see from Squires, but again he doesnt have all the tools for his potential role. Both have NHL potential, both should walk through a lot. Filmon is very raw, not a good skater, but we dont rush him. May be if he will take everything together, he will be okay complimentary player. Squires? I dont know, its too early. May be not a bad pick, but I would name some available players with much better ceiling.

Brown was weak in puck battles. Clarke is not a NHLer and I cant say he is even good AHLer for his top-3 role - not a great driving, inconsistent playmaking, very perimeter play, often did nothing on the ice. May be he can be productive as a third liner, if Haula and Palat will be able to make all the work. Not all the dirty work, but every work on the ice. Im not a fan of one minute of flash players. Ibragimov could be a thing if he could have more positional vision, but he dont.

Stillman? Nothing new. May be 4th liner. His vision and positioning arent there.

Parent is AHLer. I believe he could be okay call up for limited role. Isley and Engaras should be a good addition to AHL squad. Hatakka doesnt look like NHLer.

So... Luke\Nemec, Nemec\Luke, Schmid, Holtz\Gritsyuk, Gritsyuk\Holtz, Hameenaho, Casey, Vilen, Bardakov, Orlov, Karopovich are looking like a players with big or interesting\specific NHL potential. Filmon, Misyul, Squires looks like players with... a path. May be they will be better, may be not. I would not waited a lot for now, but they can surprise us. So Im not happy with some drafting decisions, Im not happy with forward drafting in the last few years - only two forwards outside from 1st round are looking promising. And only one is a candidate for top-9 role for now. Filmon has some potential, but I cant pencil him as NHLer now. Hope he will fix his skating, puck battling, coordination,positioning, will develop passing game and will add more muscles. He needs to find open lanes and open space better to be middle six scoring winger in NHL. Some tools are there, but again - very raw for now.

Part of me is glad but also worried. The good news about that is it means our roster is stacked to the gills but it's obviously bad when we need cheap ELC's to infiltrate the roster to help this team continue to be good. Scouting department has its hands full in the coming years to keep this pool stacked. Stankoven over Stillman will be a thorn in our side for a while, lol. Probably Boqvist over Jason Robertson bad.

 

[Guadana]

Part of me is glad but also worried. The good news about that is it means our roster is stacked to the gills but it's obviously bad when we need cheap ELC's to infiltrate the roster to help this team continue to be good. Scouting department has its hands full in the coming years to keep this pool stacked. Stankoven over Stillman will be a thorn in our side for a while, lol. Probably Boqvist over Jason Robertson bad.

Boqvist was much more positionally capable. He was more mobile, better with and wothout the puck, better IQ. He is a "bust" in top-6 sense. Stillman? He looks like potential "bust" as being bottom nhl player. He never had top-6 ceiling or even middle-6 ceiling.
There were a lot of options beside Stankoven. Its ok to worry about having Hughes(from what we saw in 2019-21), Bratt, Stankoven in your top-6. Holtz was there too. So its too many players who cant retrieve the puck. Its now when we know that Hughes can do everything and Bratt is okay in puck battles. But still the worry was there and physical dominance is a thing when the tempo goes down. But its not like Stankoven was the only one - there are a lot of players that were highly ranked by majority of scouts, home scouts, journalists etc. Morrow was a hard need, but also big mobile right handed defenseman for Devils. Knies was all about the same what Stillman has, but just better, with more poise. Freaking Raty was ex top-3. I wasnt a fan of him, I wasnt a fan of Brad Lambert at all, but this is when you are making a bet - in the end of the first round. And winnipeg did, we didnt. Lambert doesnt look like top-5 or even top-10 or top-15 player from the draft but still he is first rounder player with high ceiling even with low floor.
And I have an issue with most Devils forward picks in the last 4 years outside 1st round. There were no drivers and only Bardakov as a two way aggressive defensive forward with skating. Lenny is a good pick because I thought(may be not so popular opinion) that he is player with high ceiling and low floor, not a player with low ceiling and high floor. Some picks were players with very questionable potential at all.