The New Jersey Devils prospect pool has fluctuated between very good and underwhelming over the last few years.
They’ve added some solid prospects and traded them away. They’ve also had some prospects age out or fall out of relevance as well. The Devils’ pipeline has some solid players, but they lack surefire bets beyond a couple of guys at the top of the pool.
With the NHL off-season, we have the perfect opportunity to look at each team’s prospect pool, going in alphabetical order, which means it’s New Jersey’s turn.
In our annual series, Tony Ferrari's digging into each team's top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of its pipeline, an overview of its latest draft class and positional depth chart, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
Aside from some exceptions, a player who no longer holds NHL rookie eligibility is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for the purposes of these exercises.
INITIAL OVERVIEW OF TOP PROSPECTS
The most impactful move for the Devils' prospect pool was their trade of Simon Nemec, the 2021 second overall pick. Nemec has long been rumored in trade talks, and the Devils finally pulled the trigger, acquiring conditional first-round picks in the 2027 NHL draft and 2028 NHL draft (both top ten protected), a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft, and defense prospect Etienne Morin.
It gave Nemec a fresh start and the Devils additional draft capital to either add to their NHL roster via trade or bolster their prospect pool over the next couple of years.
The Devils' new GM, Sunny Mehta, inherited a prospect pool that is a bit underwhelming despite not being a consistent playoff contender. They have a couple of young players on their roster, with Luke Hughes being the most integral. The youngest Hughes brother will need a bounce-back year after his play seemed to dip last season.
The Devils looked lost last year, and Hughes' game followed suit. The offensively gifted blueliner remains one of their most important building blocks moving forward.
Another young player that should see a good amount of NHL time this year is Lenni Hameenaho. He’s an intelligent player who picks apart opponents as a passer and seems to understand how to connect plays. He’s exceeded his rookie eligibility, but he’s looking to establish himself as an NHLer.
His versatility will help keep him in the lineup.
Benjamin Kevan is a high-flying forward who has game-breaking speed. He is constantly looking to put defenders on their heels. His freshman season at Arizona State was merely fine, putting up 10 points in 34 games.
He should get a bit more opportunity this year, and if he can gain some confidence attacking the net like he was in his draft year, he should be a really effective NCAA scorer and get his development back on track.
Another player looking to bounce back in his sophomore season is Conrad Fondrk. His passing game is diverse and incredibly skilled, showing several interesting passing habits. Fondrk isn’t afraid to shoot the puck either, getting to the middle and picking corners from excellent shooting positions.
If he can get back on track this season, the Devils prospect pool looks a bit better because of it.
A very solid two-way forward who has great size and plays intelligently at both ends of the ice, Gustav Hillstrom is looking to showcase his offensive tools a bit more at the SHL level this upcoming season. Last year, he was a force at the J-20 level and a non-factor offensively at the SHL level. His passing is his best asset, but he didn’t seem to have the pace to keep up against men.
This will be a big season for Hillstrom’s development.
The Nemec trade netted the Devils a blueline prospect in Morin, an interesting two-way puck mover who may not have quite the upside of Nemec, but he has shown flashes of solid play. Last year was his first pro season, spent mostly at the AHL level with a stint in the ECHL. Morin can bring some physicality in the defensive zone, but he needs to pick his spots a bit more consistently.
Morin will play at the AHL level in his first season in the Devils’ system.
After a couple of solid seasons in the KHL, Anton Silayev is coming to the AHL this upcoming season. The 6-foot-7 defender is a specialist in his own zone, killing play with his length and physicality. Silayev has some nice passing tools and a heavy shot, but his offensive play isn’t likely to ever become a major part of his game.
Seamus Casey remains one of the most interesting players in New Jersey’s system. His puck-moving ability and intelligent transition play are impressive. He is a bit of an undersized defenseman, but he’s consistently found a way to make a positive impact.
Casey has been stuck as a tweener to this point, not getting consistent NHL minutes while being near dominant at the AHL level. This season, he will look to solidify his spot in the NHL.
In his first full season at the NCAA level, Mikhail Yegorov had a solid year, but it was a step back from his dominant run in the second half of last season. The 6-foot-5 Russian is one of the most intriguing goalie prospects in the game, with stretches of truly dominant play matched by stretches that leave you feeling underwhelmed. He plays a calm game, not looking to get out of his crease too much and making small movements to ensure that he isn’t overcommitting.
U-23 PLAYERS LIKELY TO PLAY IN THE NHL THIS SEASON
Lenni Hameenaho (RW), Luke Hughes (D), Seamus Casey (D)
2026 NHL DRAFT CLASS
Round 1, 12th overall - Alexander Command, C, Orebro Jr. (Swe.)
Round 2, 37th overall - Matias Vanhanen, LW, Everett (WHL)
Round 2, 44th overall - Nikita Shcherbakov, D, Ufa Jr. (Rus.)
Round 4, 119th overall - Lavr Gashilov, C, Yekaterinburg Jr. (Rus.)
Round 5, 149th overall - Daniil Rusakovich, G, Babruysk Jr. (Rus.)
Round 6, 172nd overall - Luke Wilfley, C, Portland (WHL)
Round 7, 222nd overall - Quinn McKenzie, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
The New Jersey Devils had a new GM at the helm for the 2026 NHL draft, and it was certainly an interesting draft, to say the least. They took Alexander Command well ahead of most projections. He was a name many viewed as a potential riser on the draft floor because of the lack of center prospects, but it was shocking nonetheless.
Command is a high-motor center who plays with a relentless mindset. He’s always hunting the puck down, playing a strong two-way game, and he’s always done an excellent job of finding the next play to make when the puck is on his stick. He’s a play connector.
Command has a very good shot, and he can flash some nifty passing at times as well. The newest Devil simply lacks that elite-level skill. Everything is very good across the board, but nothing is truly great outside of his motor.
At the end of the day, 12th overall might be a bit high for what he turns out to be, but he’s going to be an important piece regardless.
Matias Vanhanen was just four days away from being a first-time eligible draft prospect this season. Still, the re-entry candidate made the most of his first season in the WHL, putting up 87 points in 62 games, showcasing the slick passing game that netted him 66 assists. Vanhanen is an excellent rush attacker, working well as a puck carrier or support player in transition.
He needs to get stronger and develop his shot, but he has some really interesting upside. He’s heading to Boston College in the NCAA next season.
The Devils nabbed 6-foot-5 Russian defenseman Nikita Scherbakov. His floor is as safe as it gets outside of the top tier of players with incredible mobility and size. Scherbakov is a very good defensive play killer.
He uses his length extremely well and has no issue using his body to close out along the wall. He’s a very good passer, particularly on the breakout. If he can become a bit more of a consistent offensive player, he could easily be an impact top-four defender that makes plays at both ends of the ice.
New Jersey took a swing on a high-end playmaker in Lavr Gashilov. He plays a high-pace game and loves to fire pucks all over the ice as a passer. He needs to work on multiple aspects of his game, especially off the puck.
His defensive effort is mediocre when it’s at its best, and he isn’t the one who generally goes and gets the puck on the forecheck. Gashilov’s passing is undeniably high-end, but the rest of his game is a work in progress.
Daniil Rusakovich is an athletic netminder who moves well around his crease, but he’s a bit of a wild man, constantly forced to use his athleticism to make a save when better tracking and improved technical play could have made things easier on him. It’s a bet on a netminder with elite athletic tools from the NHL’s current goalie factory, Russia.
New Jersey took a defensive center in Luke Wilfley. He puts in the work in his own end, looking to annoy the life out of opposing forwards and turn pucks over. He can play a bit of a heavier game when needed as well.
He must develop more on-puck skill, but he showed flashes of promising passing and a heavy shot, albeit quite inconsistently.
The final pick of New Jersey’s draft was Quinn McKenzie, an undersized forward who plays with pace and has a very good shot. He has a great motor and battles every time he is on the ice. He’s heading to Penn State after next season, and he should thrive in the college environment because of his commitment to working his tail off and an offensive game that thrives on getting the puck moving around the zone.
STRENGTHS
The Devils don’t have a particularly strong prospect pool if we are being blunt, but they have done a good job of adding left-shot defensemen over the last few years. Silayev could be a top-four option. Morin, acquired in the Nemec trade, is a crafty puck mover.
Shcherbakov is a really interesting prospect that they added in the draft this year.
Even players like Topias Vilen and Daniil Orlov have some interesting traits that could make them solid depth pieces if used correctly at the pro level. It’s not that the left side is burgeoning with talent, but they have a few interesting prospects that could be useful at the bare minimum, which can’t be said about most positions in their pipeline.
WEAKNESSES
Beyond Casey, the right side of their blueline pipeline is less than enviable. They have a couple of swings in the dark with Sigge Holmgren and Charlie Leddy, but neither looks like a true NHL projection. The Devils moving Nemec really depleted the right side because he was the future there.
Now they have Casey and a hope and a dream.
HIDDEN GEM: CONRAD FONDRK, C/LW
Last season was Fondrk’s freshman year at Boston University, and it went about as poorly as it could have. Inconsistent, rusty play was sandwiched between rushing back from an injury from the end of the prior season and ending the year with another injury. Fondrk never really got his feet under him, and he admitted throughout the season that he was pushing himself to play despite not being even close to 100% from the broken leg that he suffered at the end of his draft year.
His underwhelming play lasted just 25 games, as his freshman year came to an end because of another injury.
Despite that incredibly unfortunate series of events, Fondrk remains one of the most interesting players in the Devils’ system. He is a deceptive dual-threat scorer who can make passes under pressure, cut into a lane to get his shot off or find space to fire a one-timer at the net. His speed never really recovered last season, and it had been an asset up to that point, so seeing a return to form on that front should help him rebound in general next season.
NEXT MAN UP: LENNI HAMEENAHO, RW
This is cheating a bit, considering Hameenaho spent 33 games in the NHL in the latter half of last season, but he should be able to lock down a full-time gig in camp if nothing unexpected happens. Even if he is playing in the bottom-six, Hameenaho has the intelligence to do it. His facilitation ability and willingness to play his role as a cog in the machine are what will make him successful in the lower half of the lineup.
Hameenaho could be exactly what the Devils need, as they’ve sorely been missing the depth scoring that can help take the load off their top-end talent.
PROSPECT DEPTH CHART NOTABLES
LW: Lenni Hameenaho, Matias Vanhanen, Cole Brown, Josh Filmon, Samu Salminen, Shane Lachance
C: Alexander Command, Conrad Fondrk, Gustav Hillstrom, Lavr Gashilov, Mason Moe
RW: Benjamin Kevan, Cam Squires, David Rosival, Matyas Melovsky
LD: Anton Silayev, Etienne Morin, Nikita Shcherbakov, Daniil Orlov, Topias Vilen, Daniil Karpovich
RD: Seamus Casey, Sigge Holmgren, Charlie Leddy
G: Mikhail Yegorov, Trenton Bennett, Veeti Louhivaara, Tyler Brennan, Daniil Rusakovich, Jakub Malek
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.