The New Jersey Devils Draft Scenario’s In 2021 First Round

Fourth Overall Ideal Picks

The New Jersey Devils are very much set at center for the next seven to ten years. The Devils need mobile offensive and 2-way defenders that can create offense and play defense. Another need the New Jersey Devils to have to work on our players that can partake in goal scoring.

Luke Hughes

Tom Fitzgerald would be getting out of Luke Hughes besides Jack Hughes, and Quinn Hughes’ brother is the tallest of the Hughes brothers but skates very smooth, has excellent hockey sense and can get the job done in both ends of the ice. Luke can play both right and left defense, he’s the kind of guy who makes it look like he can play top 2 defensive line pairs.

Not to throw many expectations, but his skating reminds me of Miro Heiskanen, and his smarts are very similar if not slightly better than Quinn Hughes on defense. His offensive skating is a bit different from Jack Hughes due to him being more prudent from the offensive defenseman end. Luke looks great rushing up ice at a lower gear than most guys at his level and age group.

Brandt Clarke

Brandt Clarke is the younger brother of Graeme Clarke. Brandt is the kind of guy who skates very well and loves rushing pucks up the ice and generating angles from the right side. He crashes the net and he adjusted very well playing outside of the OHL for HC Nove Zamky in Slovakia.

Why does he make sense? Brandt makes sense by bringing a right-handed defenseman to help balance out a left-handed defense-heavy prospect depth chart to balance it about. He’s an exciting player to watch and would bring similar locker chemistry to help on and off the ice, especially with his brother Graeme soon to come up from the Utica Devils.

William Eklund

The New Jersey Devils will acquire the services of a really familiar player who can do a very important job being a very sharp shooting left-handed shot. He can be playing on a centerline with Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, or even Yegor Sharangovich being sided with Alexander Holtz on the opposite end.

William Eklund can also create plays down behind the opposing net and generate high danger passes that could yield scoring drives. Eklund is the kind of guy that can be a superstar finishing winger that can influence new strategies for a team like the New Jersey Devils that can add dynamic goal scoring.

Dylan Guenther

The Edmonton Oil Kings is a blend of a playmaker and a goal scorer and has been at a near point per game pace the past few seasons. Dylan plays with power skating and is a really good finisher that could make the New Jersey Devils over the next season or a few and bring an exciting hockey style that would help the New Jersey Devils increase goalscoring output.

Conclusion

Luke Hughes is my ideal selection at fourth overall due to his speed, smarts, versatility, and his ties to the New Jersey Devils and would be a great piece to have. If Luke is off the board Brandt Clarke makes the next best sense due to a bit style of skating of finesse and power but his puck carrying and scoring abilities are too hard to ignore.

William Eklund is the kind of guy I feel very comfortable taking due to he’s playing in one of the toughest pro men"s hockey leagues in the SHL. Eklund would be a perfect piece to add to the Devils offense. Dylan Guenther may take a bit longer than most of the forwards but would be worthwhile when he plays for the Devils.

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