The front office in Newark is looking to bolster all facets of their roster in the 2021 draft adding seven new players to the organization. Acquiring a second Hughes brother was the marquee acquisition in this draft, although parting ways with New Jersey Devils’ veterans Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac for their second selection in the first round will be what long-time Devils’ fans take away from this draft.
Make sure to check out all of our other NHL Draft Recaps.
Rundown
Luke Hughes, D, U.S. National Development Team (Round 1, Pick 4)
Chase Stillman, RW, Esbjerg U20 (Round 1, Pick 29)
Samu Salminen, C/LW, Jokerit U20 (Round 3, Pick 68)
Jakub Malek, G, VHK Vsetin (Round 4, Pick 100)
Topias Vilen, D, Pelicans of Liiga (Round 5, Pick 129)
Viktor Hurtig, D, Surrahammars IF (Round 6, Pick 164)
Zakhar Bardakov, F, Vityaz Podolsk (Round 7, Pick 203)
In the 2021 draft, the Devils selected three defensemen, three forwards, and a new netminder. A second first-round pick was also acquired from the Islanders for Palmieri and Zajac. The transfer of Palmieri and Zajac comes as a blow to Devils’ faithful, though the insertion of young talent into their developmental rosters should give fans some hope that the future can be bright for New Jersey hockey.
Best Pick: Luke Hughes
This 6’2″ defenseman and the University of Michigan commit is assumed to be one of the best offensive defensemen in this draft and with plenty of production to show the Devils should be confident they’ll be seeing him shortly after his time in Ann Arbor comes to an end. In his most recent season with the U.S. National U18 Team, he scored 34 points (28 assists) in 38 games and had a plus/minus rating of plus 11. Great numbers for a D-man looking to crack an NHL roster in the coming years.
The Devil’s also made history with their selection of Luke, making the Hughes family the first in NHL history to have three brothers drafted in the top 10. Look for Hughes to make a statement in his debut season with the Wolverines, as he hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps, skipping the minors, and head straight to the NHL.
Worst Pick: Jakub Malek
Malek was a questionable pick in the draft, as he wasn’t projected to be drafted at all, and made zero mock draft lists. This selection was the worst because of the talent that was available and passed on with New Jersey’s 100th overall pick. They missed at an opportunity to land Jack Bar, a Harvard commit who shows speed and puck-skill on the defensive end that is needed on this Devils roster. With Malek having so little draft stock there’s reason to think he could’ve dropped to a later pick if New Jersey’s scouting team liked his game that much.
Sleeper Pick: Topias Vilen
Although this isn’t the offensive defenseman fans in New Jersey would’ve liked to take, Vilen’s work on the blue line had him projected to be selected much earlier in this draft. Vilen was the number 38 Euro player as listed by NHL Central Scouting and ranked 10th in draft-eligible Finnish players this year. His game focuses on staying back and focusing on his assignments rather than looking to create space or opportunities on the other end. This isn’t a home run of a selection, but Vilen fell to New Jersey in a spot they felt could bolster their young defensive core.
Summary
The marquee pick in this draft adds another Hughes brother to the NHL family, giving fans around the league a heartfelt moment to look forward to when they one day take this ice together as pros. Intentions in the Devils’ front office was to supply their core with an influx of young talent albeit some overage picks were selected. It’s likely fans walked away upset with the Devils’ pick of a very under scouted goaltender, but aside from Malek and missing out on Bar, fans should be optimistic for the future of the franchise.
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