Top-20 Espoirs - New Jersey Devils


	Top-20 des meilleurs espoirs DEVILS DU NEW JERSEY Analyses de Scott Wheeler de The Athletic.
	1- Matthew Beniers Centre 19 ans 6'1 174 lbs Repêché 4ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" I wrote throughout last year’s draft process that I believed Beniers’ skill level had been either underrated to miscast due to all of the focus placed on the rest of the things he provided on the ice. This season, as a sophomore on a stacked Wolverines team, that has begun to push to the forefront as he has consistently made high-skill plays at the same rates as his peers, peers who would only be described as skilled (Thomas Bordeleau, Brendan Brisson, Kent Johnson, etc.). But that was most evident in his November heater when he rattled three straight multi-goal games and 10 points in four games. His game has developed a real crispness. He never seems to put passes into feet. He keeps a ton of plays alive with his ability to weave around bodies along the wall and play through bumps because he keeps his feet and hands moving in unison (which also helps him shade pucks in transition) when it looks like he’s closed out. He’s thriving in transition and attacking on angles on entry. But the biggest step forward in Beniers’ game this season has been the progression of his shot into a real weapon. His detail-oriented, high-octane, 200-foot game is undeniable. He’s also going to be a tenacious, up-tempo transition player whose hands can keep up with his energy level, he sees the ice with underrated vision, and he finishes off plays around the net because of the frequency with which he helps get the puck there. He’s going to sacrifice some of his offence to stay above pucks and support his linemates, but he has all the makings of an impactful top-six pivot. The one area I’d actually like to see him improve is in the faceoff circle, where he’s losing more draws than he wins for the second year in a row in college. "

	2- Ryan Suzuki Centre 20 ans 6'0 176 lbs Repêché 32ie au total en 2019 par Chicago.	" Suzuki’s becoming a bit of a tricky player to project and evaluate because of a combination of his growing injury history and the early jump to the AHL that was necessitated by the pandemic. The good news is that as I write this Suzuki, who has played just five games so far this season (all in October), is back practicing in a regular jersey again. And the better news is that I watched a couple of those five games and he looked great pre-injury. Suzuki’s a highly gifted player who plays a flow game that breezes around the ice in possession. He’s still got a propensity to hang onto the puck too long and try one too many moves, but when he makes quick decisions and plays fast he’s a ton of fun. He has always had the line-driving on-puck skill of a top-six NHL talent. He leads rushes and pushes pace through neutral ice as a primary carrier on his line, hitting the blue line with speed to make something happen. He can beat defenders and goalies one-on-one with his hands, particularly his unique ability to pull and drag pucks through his feat and across his body to leap around opposing players with a side-step or cut. He’s also a creative, inventive passer who can run a power play, execute through layers, and feed pucks into space for his linemates. His quick acceleration gives him defensive value in races and on lifts when he commits to them (an area which has improved a great deal). Suzuki doesn’t have the overall build, strength or shot to maybe reach that top-six potential in its fullest, but a career as an impactful, offensively-inclined top-nine forward is definitely still in the cards for him. "

	3- Cal Foote Défenseur 23 ans 6'4 227 lbs Repêché 15ie au total en 2017 par Vancouver.	" We know more or less what Foote is at this point. He’s a big, heavyset defender who uses his strength advantage to lean on players along the cycle, win battles and rub players out off the rush. Given his size, his talent level also grades out favourably, with a hard shot that can beat goalies from a distance (through a low snap or more of a wind-up) and passable hands for his size. How his skating holds up at NHL pace has always been the big question in terms of his projection, a question which has produced middling results thus far. He moves well forward and backward, with balanced pushes that generate good power a few strides into his skating motion. But, he’s not particularly mobile from a standstill and can get burned on his pivots, so he has to rely on playing a generous gap in transition and then closing effectively with his stick or body. In his own zone, it can be a little more pronounced as a problem when the play breaks down and he has to scramble (though his restraint and positioning do help him there too). I like his choices defensively, though, and his game offensively should still make him a full-time two-way NHLer with a physical (though not mean, per se) edge, even if he has been slow to grab hold of it to date. Increasingly, though, I think he looks more like he’s going to top out as a 4-6 defenceman than the 3-4 one some saw through his junior career and into his rookie season in the AHL. I do think he’s got slightly more offence to his game than we’ve seen to date in the NHL, though. "

	4- Zachary Bolduc Centre 18 ans 6'1 176 lbs Repêché 20ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" Bolduc’s production hasn’t taken a giant leap forward in the last two seasons since he won the QMJHL’s Rookie of the Year award but I’d argue he has progressed nicely regardless (especially considering the role the pandemic, a couple of injuries, and an appendectomy played). He’s a kid whose skill and finesse have really impressed me in recent viewings, both live at Hockey Canada’s summer showcase in Calgary in 2021, where I thought he was outstanding (unfortunately, he didn’t play in Traverse City at the prospect tournament), and on tape with his new team, the Remparts. One common misnomer about Bolduc is that he’s a centre. He was a centre growing up but he has never been a full-time pivot in his three years in the QMJHL. In Rimouski, he was always a secondary draw guy on his line who would play the middle sporadically throughout the year. This season, with the Remparts, he hasn’t touched the middle. He’s also a 47 percent faceoff guy over the length of his junior career. I project him as a left wing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either, because he makes plays with such ease off the flank with the puck on his stick, especially off of cuts and as a passer. His background as a centre has also made him a reliable two-way winger who impresses on the penalty kill. And then he’s got a dangerous mid-range shot (which he gets off quickly and which also features a useful one-timer) and good overall skating which allow him to get good looks for himself and finish on them. I see a talented winger who can play on or off the puck effectively and create offence in a variety of ways, but also understands his role at all times defensively as plays develop. He’s got projectable second-line upside. "

	5- Kaiden Guhle Défenseur 19 ans 6'2 201 lbs Repêché 18ie au total en 2020 par Winnipeg.	" Guhle has become an absolute force at the junior level and after a run at the WHL title and potentially the Memorial Cup with his new team in Edmonton, the expectation is that he’ll turn pro and bypass the AHL to the big club almost immediately. When he chooses to close his gap and separate his man from the puck, he can overpower his peers physically. He’s also a very contagious, energetic leader who can play in all situations, eat minutes, and be counted upon to lead by example. There are still some kinks (he gets burned one-on-one from time to time and his game can break down a little under pressure) but he’s a long, freakishly-athletic kid who skates at a high level, kills a ton of plays in the neutral zone, outmuscles players when he leans on them, has an NHL shot, and has become a dominant transition player (even if you’re not likely to see him break down coverage with his feet once he gets the puck to the offensive zone). There has been progress made with his hands and developing some more calmness to his game has gone a long way to taking a safe NHL projection to another level. He’s never going to have the offensive ability to be a No. 1 but he’s got the makings of a No. 2-3. "

	6- Shane Bowers Centre / Ailier Droit 22 ans 6'2 185 lbs Repêché 97ie au total en 2017 par New York.	" Bowers is a plus-level skater who uses his speed and pro size (6-foot-2, 186 pounds) to push tempo and apply pressure up ice. He’s likely going to develop into an NHL penalty killer when (or if) he makes the jump full-time. While he’s not a dynamic offensive player, Bowers has enough puck skill and playmaking to make plays happen when they are there to be made, even if he won’t manufacture a ton himself. Like a lot of the Avs prospects after the two top guys, though, he’ll top out as a depth guy. Many of these names are going to be competing against each other for the same jobs. "

	7- Brett Harrison Centre 18 ans 6'2 185 lbs Repêché 100ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" I thought about ranking Harrison a spot or two lower than this, which is where he would rank in a consensus, but on age, and projection, I think the rest of the names in the Bruins’ pool top out as role players and may become a little more than that if he develops on the right trajectory. I think he was better than he was given credit for in his brief stint in Finland last year and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen out of him in Oshawa (where he’s an assistant captain) this year, even though the numbers look good but not great. Harrison possesses NHL size and a multi-dimensional shot, with the ability to score with his one-timer (which can look a little off balance and haywire but really pops from his off-wing on the power play). He can also lean into a slap shot, generate power off of his backhand (goalies struggle to control rebounds from his backhand because it comes off with a lot of spin), rip the curl-and-drag, or use his frame to lean into his snap shot. Inside the offensive zone, he’s dangerous as a catch-and-release player or off of a drive to the net when he drops a shoulder and attacks. He’s also got sneaky vision when opposing teams try to protect against his shot (he’ll hit the middle lane and execute one-touch passes through seams). And he’s got great feel around the net and does a good job getting to the centre of the ice to tip and redirect pucks. His stride can look choppy and occasionally breaks down, but he generates decent power through, does a good job keeping his feet moving, and makes it hard for defenders to take back possession with his ability to protect the puck out wide to his body. Add in a determined off-puck approach and I think you might have a complementary scorer. "

	8- Kim Nousiainen Défenseur 21 ans 5'9 170 lbs Repêché 117ie au total en 2019 par New Jersey.	" After two excellent seasons for a player his age in Liiga and two strong showings internationally (first at the world juniors and then, actually, at the men’s world championships, where he helped the Finns to a silver medal), Nousiainen has established himself as a legitimate NHL prospect. This season, it earned him a letter with KalPa before his 21st birthday. Where Helenius isn’t what you expect out of a 6-foot-6 forward, Nousiainen isn’t what you expect out of a 5-foot-9 defenceman. He’s got offensive gifts (which you do expect) but he’s also got a defensive polish and physicality that maybe you don’t. He plays an aggressive style on both sides of the puck, always looking to take space. But he also does a good job recognizing from within that style when he needs to pull back a little. His NHL projection still feels longer than it probably should be given his size but the Kings would be prudent to sign him, bring him into the fold in the AHL, and let him continue to prove himself (which he has done again and again) to see if there’s a unique No. 5-7 guy there. "

	9- Daniel Torgersson Ailier Gauche / Ailier Droit 19 ans 6'3 205 lbs Repêché 39ie au total en 2020 par New Jersey.	" After recovering from a brutal knee injury last season, Torgersson was loaned out from the SHL’s Frolunda to HockeyAllsvenskan’s AIK this year. The injury set back Torgersson, who was showing a lot of promise before it, but I think there’s still a path for him forward as a long term project. He’s still re-finding himself but Torgersson is a big (6-foot-2, over 200 pounds), strong, athletically, physically mature kid who can really shoot the puck. He’s a lot to handle on the wall and at the net-front but he’s also got standout puck skill one-on-one, helping him play in traffic and through sticks. And while he can tunnel-vision looking for chances for himself toward the net, above-average speed helps him play with that mentality. If he can put it all together and get back on track, there may be a complementary goal scorer with some size and power (and surprising skill) in there, though he’s never going to be a true playmaker. "

	10- Daniil Chayka Défenseur 19 ans 6'3 181 lbs Repêché 36ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" Chayka is a 6-foot-3 two-way defender who won an OHL title three years ago, could technically be in his fourth year in the OHL even though he was just drafted, and has long had a mature makeup both physically and in his play. Defensively, he uses an active stick to breaks up a lot of plays in the neutral zone (though I have seen speedier players burn him wide and his pivots still need some work) and he takes away a lot of space inside his own zone. With the puck, he’s comfortable enough with it at the offensive-zone blue line that he can make the odd play off the point and run a junior-level power play (which he won’t do at the pro level). I do find that his long stick can hinder him at the point, where his wrist shots come off of his stick softly because of a high grip and a stilted posture, but he’s decently mobile side-to-side and he gets his shots through consistently. I wouldn’t have picked him quite as high as the Golden Knights did but he projects safely to be a good pro. "

	11- Jett Woo Défenseur 21 ans 6'0 205 lbs Repêché 29ie au total en 2018 par Minnesota.	" The numbers don’t pop but I’ve been quite impressed with Woo whenever I’ve watched Abbotsford this year. His defensive game is now being felt, he’s driving results on that side of the puck, and he looks like himself. Woo’s a player who blends the old with the new to play a throwback physical style that has modern puck-moving elements to it. He plays a stout defensive game, looks to close on opposing carriers and play the body, and leverage his sturdy 205-pound frame to lean on opposing players in board battles instead of outsmarting them. With the puck, he’s also a standout athlete with a powerful stride who can shed opposing players when he has the puck (though he’s more likely to lead a rush with a quick pass than his feet). His style, especially when it’s matched with his handedness, remains appealing in today’s game because it fills a void and he’s actually decently talented, so it’s not as though his throwback nature is all that he is. There are times when he can force things but he’s an intelligent kid and a sneaky-smart player whose efficiency and presence should make him a third-pairing option in time. "

	12- Joaquim Lemay Défenseur 19 ans 6'1 172 lbs Repêché 148ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" After knowing admittedly very little about Lemay into the draft, I’ve made some time for him in his first (and only) season in Lincoln before he heads off to the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the fall. And he has impressed. He has looked like one of the better D in the USHL from the get go and I’m not surprised the Stars made him an assistant captain. Lemay’s got a pro frame he can continue to build on, he’s a beautiful skater, he processes the game at a high level, and though he’s not a dynamic offensive type nor a shutdown guy, he has been productive and he plays a modern game. "

	13- Luca Munzenberger Défenseur 19 ans 6'2 194 lbs Repêché 92ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" Munzenberger’s a player who has, not unlike Samorukov, always looked better than his raw outputs might suggest. He gaps well, he’s got a great stick, he can play his off-side effectively which gives his coaches versatility, and he has shown against his peers (including in Edmonton for this year’s world juniors before they were shut down) that he can involve himself offensively and take charge of shifts as a bit of a general when he’s on the ice. His adjustment to the college level hasn’t gone perfectly smoothly but he’s also the youngest player on a bad Vermont team. Time is going to be key with Munzenberger but with the right progress, he may someday provide some organizational depth out of college. "

	14- Isaak Phillips Défenseur 20 ans 6'3 194 lbs Repêché 151ie au total en 2020 par New Jersey.	" Phillips is a powerful skater and defender who snuffs out a lot of plays in the defensive zone and swallows opposing carriers into dumps through neutral ice. He’s also not shy to attack off the line and tap his stick for a pass as a secondary shot threat. His poise with the puck and peripheral vision still need to improve but there has been progress made there, too (maybe just enough). He plays the kind of simple, fast, hard, honest game that’s increasingly going extinct but can still work with the right composition. "

	15- Carter Mazur Ailier Gauche 19 ans 6'0 170 lbs Repêché 68ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" The best story in the Red Wings pool this season, Mazur is a kid who would have ranked near the bottom of this list had I done it in the summer. His play at Denver has become a real talking point in college hockey circles. As I write this, he’s seventh in under-20 scoring in college hockey and in a tight race for the freshman scoring lead with Josh Doan (Coyotes/Arizona State) and Matthew Knies (Leafs/University of Minnesota), playing above a point per game. Mazur’s a hard-working, honest 200-foot winger with enough skill to make plays all over the ice and finish around the net. Every team wants the three-zone, competitive winger who can play up and down the lineup and that’s what he’s now starting to project as. "

	16- Guillaume Richard Défenseur 18 ans 6'2 179 lbs Repêché 116ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" Richard was a top minor hockey player all the way up in Quebec and could have been a top QMJHL draft pick had he not elected to go the college hockey route. This season, the early results on his choice have been super positive, as he has stepped in with the Friars and had an immediate impact at both ends, driving impressive goal differential results. He’s an excellent transition defender who uses a long, fluid stride to funnel opposing carriers to the outside and then close on them as soon as the opportunity presents itself. He’s also an excellent in-zone defender who understands how to use his length to position himself relative to the flow of play and uses an active stick to break up passes or force opposing players into actions they don’t want to take. He has also always had more offence and comfort level with the puck than his USHL production indicated a year ago so it has been especially nice to see him contribute immediately on that end. He gets the puck going in the right direction and has always excelled off the puck, but he’s got some untapped potential offensively (it’s never going to overcome his defence to be the hallmark of his game but he can keep himself involved) and room to continue to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame. With the right development, he might become a play-driving, rangy two-way guy. "

	17- Jackson Kunz Centre 19 ans 6'3 214 lbs Repêché 111ie au total en 2020 par New Jersey.	" When the Canucks drafted Kunz in the fourth round out of Shattuck St. Mary’s, they were counting on the rapid development of a big kid who’d filled the net in the prep school circuit and had a late birthday (August 2002 in a draft class of first-year eligibles that ended in September). His progression since, though, has been relatively slow all things considered. He posted 43 points in 50 games as Green Bay’s fourth-leading scorer last year and the transition to college hockey in his backyard at the University of North Dakota hasn’t gone smoothly this year either (though part of that was due to a November injury). Kunz has quick hands for his size and a hard wrist shot that pops off of his blade when he’s left open (he’s less effective at creating the same power under pressure). But a sluggish stride and mediocre processing skills when he’s asked to problem solve could limit his upside. It was always going to be a while before we knew what he is, so he’s worth waiting on and continuing to track, but he has looked a step behind at college pace and he’s going to need to develop a little more tempo if he wants to be more than a cycle and net-front presence who can handle and shoot the puck. He too often leaves me wanting more. "

	18- Quinn Olson Ailier Gauche / Centre 20 ans 5'11 170 lbs Repêché 101ie au total en 2019 par New Jersey.	" Olson falls into that weird group of prospects who are average-sized and averaged-skilled, hardworking playmakers who everyone has good things to say about but you just know will struggle to get to the inside and create for themselves at the pro level. He’s a pesky, agile winger who impacts a game just by staying involved in it. He has turned himself into an important player as a (young) junior with the Bulldogs. He endears himself to his coaches and teammates with his sticktoitiveness and feisty disposition (though it can land him in the penalty box). And while it’s not hard to imagine him as a good depth forward at the AHL level, he’s probably not quite skilled enough or big enough to play the same role he always has at the NHL level. He’s a fun player to watch but he’ll need to take a big step forward next season. "

	19- Roman Schmidt Défenseur 18 ans 6'6 209 lbs Repêché 102ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" Outside of Finley, Schmidt may be the Lightning prospect whose destination I’m most curious to find out. He was a top prospect on the titanic Don Mills Flyers AAA program growing up, made the national development program with first-round aspirations, struggled for much of last season (preceding a stronger finish), fell into the third round, and then de-committed from Boston University in favour of the OHL. He’s also 6-foot-6 righty, which makes him interesting by default. His length snuffs out a lot of plays and isn’t as slow or devoid of talent as you might expect. There are times when he looks sleepy out there and I want him to move the puck faster, play his gaps tighter and be more decisive. But when he keeps his feet moving he’s actually decently mobile for his size and his physicality can overwhelm opposing players (both when he steps up to close a gap with a hit or push someone off the puck along the boards). I do worry, as I did when rangy London Knights defenceman Bryce Montgomery decided against college for junior, that the timeline he’ll be on in the OHL doesn’t give him enough time to mature his game (and that college may have been better for him on that front) before he has to turn pro. "

	20- Alexei Kolosov Gardien 19 ans 6'1 187 lbs Repêché 84ie au total en 2021 par New Jersey.	" Though Kolosov didn’t quite make my 2021 draft board, I wrote in advance of it that he would have been my third-ranked goalie (after the big two of Jesper Wallstedt and Sebastian Cossa). He has since followed that up with a good season in his first full year in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk, where he shares the net with 28-year-old former Red Wings signee Patrik Rybar. In December, he also backstopped Belarus to promotion into next year’s world juniors in Russia with a 5-0 run of play and a .932 save percentage in the Division 1A tournament in Denmark. Kolosov is short by today’s goalie standards (6-foot-1) but he makes up for it with his athleticism in the net. He’s both quick and powerful in the net, with the strength to go post-to-post or low-to-high in one aggressive push and the feet to adjust to dekes, passes and scrambles. Repetition at the KHL level should go a long way to building out the rest of his game after an unconventional path to this point. I’ve liked what I’ve seen. "

	Mentions honorables:	- Matteo Costantini (C)