Devils Top 10 Prospects: Preseason 2024-25
The New Jersey Devils' pipeline has thinned out, but there's still some promising talent at the top of their system.
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The Prospects Challenge is coming up in Buffalo this weekend, with the New Jersey Devils playing on Friday, Saturday and Monday at this year's tournament. But before we get to that, who are some of the Devils' top prospects heading into 2024-25?
The Devils' pipeline isn't what it used to be, but there are still some intriguing prospects in their system, some of who you will probably see this weekend. Here are their top-10 prospects heading into 2024-25.
10. Herman Träff, Winger
Just drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft, Herman Träff had a solid season in Sweden's junior league — the J20 Nationell — in 2023-24, totaling 13 goals and 21 points in 26 games.
Träff is a physical winger at 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, but he skates well and has a good shot. His upside is likely that of a bottom-six winger, but he's someone to watch when his D+1 season in the HockeyAllsvenskan gets underway.
9. Cam Squires, Winger
Recently signed to his three-year, entry-level deal, Cam Squires looks like another late-round find for the Devils' scouting staff. He finished the 2023-24 season with 33 goals and 72 points in 66 games in the QMJHL and added 20 points in 14 playoff games.
Squires needs to continue adding weight to his frame (6-foot-0, 170 pounds), but there's a well-rounded offensive player who skates well. For a fourth-round pick, he looks like he could be something. He will return to the QMJHL for 2024-25 and should be a top player in the league this season.
8. Josh Filmon, Winger
Josh Filmon once looked like another late-round gem for the Devils' scouting staff, but his stock has cooled off after last season. It's not that he had a bad D+2 season per se, but there wasn't any progression; his point totals dipped from 75 points in 2022-23 to 67 last season.
That doesn't mean Filmon isn't a good prospect. After all, he's only 20, but he has work to do to move up the top 10. He will play for the Comets this season, his first taste of pro hockey. There might be some bumps in the road, but it'll be interesting to see how he fares.
7. Chase Stillman, Forward
A first-round pick of the Devils in the 2021 draft, Chase Stillman had a solid first pro season with the Utica Comets a season ago, totaling 14 goals and 24 points in 54 games — a 19-goal, 32-point pace over a 72-game AHL schedule.
I don't think Stillman's upside is higher than a bottom-six winger, but his first pro season has me thinking he might turn into an NHLer after all. He has a good shot and might become a quality depth scorer for the Devils. He's still only 21, meaning he has runway to keep developing, so we'll see how he fares with the Comets this season.
6. Topias Vilén, Defenseman
Topias Vilén has come a long way since getting drafted in 2021. He spent three years with the Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga before coming to North America for his first full pro season with the Comets in 2023-24.
Though he spent some time in the ECHL, Vilén played well for the Comets, totaling 29 points in 54 games. He's a smooth-skating defenseman who's improved his offensive game since getting drafted. He'll likely spend most of 2024-25 with the Comets, but his game seems to be trending upward.
5. Mikhail Yegorov, Goaltender
Just drafted with one of the picks acquired in the John Marino trade this offseason, Mikhail Yegorov is another goalie added to the Devils' system. He didn't have the best year in the USHL in 2023-24, but he also played for one of the worst teams in the Omaha Lancers.
Per Corey Pronman of The Athletic:
"I wouldn’t call [Yegorov's] side-to-side movements explosive, but he can make tough saves and is nimble for a guy his size. On his best nights, where he’s squaring up pucks, and given the type of stops he can make, he looks like a clear NHL goalie."
Yegorov will spend another year in the USHL before heading to Boston University in 2025-26, but he's now the Devils' best goaltending prospect.
4. Lenni Hämeenaho, Winger
The Devils didn't have a first-round pick in the 2023 draft, but they found a legit prospect in Lenni Hämeenaho in the second round. He had an excellent D+1 season in the Liiga last season, totaling 14 goals and 31 points in 46 games for Ässät.
Hämeenaho is not the best skater, but he has excellent hockey sense that makes up for his skating deficiencies. He has a good shot and knows exactly where to be in the offensive zone. His skating could hold him back a bit in the NHL, but I still see middle-six potential.
3. Seamus Casey, Defenseman
The Devils are loaded on defense with Luke Hughes, Šimon Nemec and Anton Silayev, but they have more on the way with Seamus Casey. After two terrific seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, Casey signed his ELC this offseason and will begin his pro career in 2024-25.
Despite his 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame, Casey more than makes up for it with his high-end skating and hockey sense. His edgework, in particular, is fantastic, and his puck skills are excellent. The right side of the Devils' blue line is loaded, but Casey could steal a job from someone at some point. The upside is real.
2. Arseni Gritsyuk, Winger
Every Devils fan's favorite prospect at this point, Arseni Gritsyuk has developed as well as anyone could've imagined since the Devils selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. He finished with 38 points in 50 games in the KHL last season and is off to a strong start in 2024-25, with four points in three games for SKA St. Petersburg.
Gritsyuk has added plenty of strength to his frame since the Devils drafted him, now measuring 6-foot-0, 194 pounds. He has an above-average shot, skates well, and plays with pace. I see middle-six/top-six potential, and it might not be long before he plays for the Devils. His KHL contract expires after this season, and it seems the plan is for him to sign with the Devils.
1. Anton Silayev, Defenseman
The Devils probably felt lucky that Anton Silayev was available with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Most draft rankings had him in the top five, so the Devils got a bit of a steal in drafting the 6-foot-7 defender.
Silayev is a unicorn of sorts. He skates very well for someone his size but has all the elements you need to be a high-end shutdown defender. He needs to improve his offensive game and puck skills, but I expect that's something Igor Larionov — his coach in the KHL — will help him develop over the next couple of years. He has top-pair potential if all goes well.
Devils System Is Top-Heavy
The Devils' pipeline is a bit top-heavy these days. Silayev, Gritsyuk, Casey, Hämeenaho, Vilén and Yegorov look like NHL prospects, but it thins out pretty quickly after them. Still, they have some prospects who could round out the edges, and given where they are as an organization, that might be all they need.
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
Kasper Pikkarainen, Jakub Málek, Daniil Karpovich, Daniil Orlov, Daniil Misyul, Artyom Barbosha, Mikael Diotte
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About Silayev, I've always thought skates well "for his size" was a bit of a backhanded compliment. From what I've read and seen, that doesn't apply here - big or small, he's a great skater.