Devils' Nemec Has Far Beyond Exceeded Expectations

Šimon Nemec has performed better than most could have imagined to start his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils.

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Injuries have moved some young New Jersey Devils defensemen into bigger roles than the organization anticipated and likely wanted early in 2023-24. With Jonas Siegenthaler likely out long-term with a broken foot, more onus will be on them to shoulder the load. 

Fortunately, Luke Hughes and Šimon Nemec have performed better than admirably to start this season. We wrote about Hughes' excellent start last week, so let's focus on Nemec today. 

Dougie Hamilton suffering a torn pectoral muscle in a game on Nov. 28 forced the Devils to call up Nemec earlier than they wanted. Personally, I didn't have high expectations for Nemec, given his age and that he's still developing. But he's shattered those expectations and has been terrific to start his NHL career. 

Let's look at how he's performed for the Devils, how he compares to other rookie defensemen, and how he can help the Devils deal with the loss of Hamilton and now Siegenthaler. 

Nemec’s Impressive Start to Early Career

Nemec's AHL season was going just fine in the lead-up to his call-up, but it's not like he was spectacular. That's why it makes the start of his NHL career even more impressive. He had eight points in 13 games and had been up and down with his play, per Utica Comets reporter Ben Birnell of the Rome Sentinel. 

Even though Nemec hadn't been dominating in the AHL, Devils coach Lindy Ruff wasted no time pairing Nemec alongside Siegenthaler on the top pair in place of the injured Hamilton. The expectation was that he could fill in some of the offensive prowess they lost in Hamilton, but he's done more than that. 

Before getting into some of his defensive metrics, let's pull up what he's done on offense, as that's been his strength. Nemec's even-strength offense has been worth an expected goals above replacement (xGAR) of 2.3, and his even-strength offensive impacts grade out the best on his RAPM chart:

Simon Nemec’s even-strength and power-play impacts through 17 games

Even though Nemec's offensive metrics grade out better, he's still done well suppressing quality chances (xGA/60). And it's not like Ruff has been sheltering Nemec. He's played 30.8 percent of his ice time against elite competition and 39.4 percent against the middle of the lineup (per PuckIQ).