{"id":33875,"date":"2018-08-05T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2018-08-05T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=33875"},"modified":"2018-08-05T13:56:45","modified_gmt":"2018-08-05T17:56:45","slug":"new-jersey-devils-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2018\/08\/05\/new-jersey-devils-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"TSP: Top New Jersey Devils Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the 2018 Top Shelf Prospects series.\u00a0 As we go through the Summer of 2018 LWOH will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. We will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and\u00a0you can find all the articles here<\/a>.\u00a0 Since we had an\u00a0extensive NHL Draft preview<\/a>, we will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2018 draft, as there have been no games since then, and our reports on them will not have changed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"What we will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year\u2019s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2018-19 roster of the NHL team in question. We will also bring you one sleeper pick \u2013 a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who we pick as our dark horse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn\u2019t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played (including playoff games) or is 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and we may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

New Jersey Devils Prospects<\/h1>\n

The New Jersey Devils<\/a>\u00a0were one of the biggest surprises in the NHL. Led by Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall<\/a><\/strong>, with a big contribution from backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid<\/a><\/strong>, and strong rookie seasons\u00a0Nico Hischier<\/a><\/strong> and Will Butcher<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0the Devils made the playoffs. They would lose in the first round, falling in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>, but for a team whose rebuild was ahead of schedule, there are few Devils fans who were disappointed by the results of the 2017-18 season.<\/p>\n

The Devils have not made a lot of moves in the off-season. They even let trade deadline rentals like Patrick Maroon<\/a><\/strong> and Michael Grabner<\/a><\/strong> walk in free agency. It seems clear that general manager Ray Shero<\/strong> is not looking to speed up the rebuild despite the strong results. The team will stick with the process.<\/p>\n

2018 NHL Draft\u00a0Picks:\u00a0Ty Smith<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Xavier Bernard<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Akira Schmid<\/strong>,\u00a0Yegor Sharangovich<\/strong>,\u00a0Mitchell Hoelscher<\/strong>,\u00a0Eetu Pakkila
\n<\/strong>Graduations: Nico Hischier<\/a><\/strong>, Will Butcher<\/a><\/strong>, Steven Santini<\/a><\/strong>, Jesper Bratt<\/a><\/strong>, Blake Coleman<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Top Prospect: Ty Smith<\/h2>\n

The Devils drafted Smith with the 17th overall pick in this year\u2019s NHL draft. Prior to the draft, we did an in-depth scouting report on Smith. As no games have been played since that report; we will not repeat it. You can\u00a0check out the report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#2 Prospect: Michael McLeod<\/h2>\n

Centre — shoots Right
\nBorn February\u00a03rd, 1998 —\u00a0Mississauga, Ontario
\nHeight 6’2″ — Weight 188 lbs [188 cm \/ 85 kg]
\nDrafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 1st round, #12\u00a0overall, at the 2016 NHL Draft<\/p>\n