Devils 2025 NHL Draft Preview: Needs, Potential Targets & More

The New Jersey Devils don't have a 1st-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, but it could still be a busy weekend.

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Stay on your toes, New Jersey Devils fans. While they may not have a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, they still have seven picks over the seven rounds, including two second-rounders.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Devils traded one of their seconds for immediate NHL help. But if not, they can add to a prospect pool that lacks depth outside of top prospects like Anton Silayev, Lenni Hämeenaho, etc. Let's assess the Devils' pipeline needs, review some potential draft targets, specifically for their second-round picks, and possible trades they could make.

Devils Draft Order

First, let's run down the Devils' seven picks and their draft order to get a better sense of things:

• RD 2: 50.

• RD 2: 63. (from EDM)

• RD 3: 90. (from VGK)

• RD 4: 99. (from NSH)

• RD 4: 114.

• RD 6: 161.

• RD 6: 178 (from SJS)

It's not the best draft class, but the Devils can still add some promising prospects to their system. With that, let's assess their pipeline and look at their biggest needs over the next two days.

Devils Pipeline Overview

The glaring need in the Devils' prospect pool is at center. Their top prospects are either defensemen — Silayev, Šimon Nemec and Seamus Casey — or wingers like Arseniy Gritsyuk and Hämeenaho. Perhaps Matyas Melovsky will turn into a bottom-six center one day, but he's only on an AHL contract for the time being.

The Devils have also missed on some center prospects in recent years. Samu Salminen was a solid pick at the time, but he's struggled to progress in his development since the 2021 draft.

Salminen will be a senior at the University of Denver for the 2025-26 season. Playing for David Carle can't hurt, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about him becoming an NHLer.

Otherwise, the Devils haven't drafted many centers in recent years. Having Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier may have something to do with that, but it has come to hurt the franchise, especially since Hughes has struggled to stay healthy.

Adding a center or two to their system would help, but the Devils have promising prospects at every other position. We already mentioned the defensemen, as well as Gritsyuk and Hämeenaho, but Cam Squires looks like he has some potential, too.

In net, the Devils have Mikhail Yegorov and Jakub Málek, the latter of whom will likely be playing for the Utica Comets in the AHL. Yegorov may be one of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL right now, so the Devils are in good shape in between the pipes.