New Jersey Devils Select Marian Studenic at 143rd Overall in Fifth Round

We are right in the middle of the 2017 NHL Draft and the New Jersey Devils have been very active with multiple picks in the fifth round. For their second pick of the fifth round, the Devils selected Marian Studenic from the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL with the 143rd overall pick. The left handed RW from Holic, Slovakia made his OHL debut last season after developing in his native country. Let's get to know more about Studenic.

According to EliteProspects, Studenic was born on October 28, 1998. His OHL player page list him at 6'0, 165 lbs. so he'll definitely need to add a bit of muscle going forward. He put up 18 goals, 12 assists, and averaged 2.21 shots per game as a rookie in the OHL last season for Hamilton. Prior to that he was a standout player in the Slovakian junior leagues and even put up 16 points in 35 games for HK 36 Skalica in the Slovak top flight in 2015-16. According to the consensus rankings put together by Habs Eye on the Prize he was ranked 121st overall. Let's see what others have to say about his game.

Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analyst had Studenic going 136th overall in his mock draft. This what he had to say on the young winger:

Explosive winger with game-changing abilities who followed up a strong rookie season in the Slovak elite Extraliga with an up-and-down North American campaign with Hamilton. Studenic’s skills are undeniable — he is super fast, super agile and super aware. The problem was he couldn’t get a consistent job in the top six or on the power play, so he was forcing things while relegated to a depth role. Still, 14 of his 18 goals and 23 of 30 points came at even strength, and he is good for a couple of great chances a game. One underrated aspect of Studenic’s game is his vision, especially on zone entries.

Last summer, in his 2016 CHL Import Draft Review, Brock Otten of OHL Prospects interviewed a few scouts. Here's what they had to say on Studenic's game:

Mike Mackley says, "a smooth skating, offensive minded winger with developing two-way abilities. Skates well and shows an underrated playmaking ability. Protects the puck well and is a strong decision maker. Studenic engages defensively and can force turnovers by getting his stick in passing/shooting lanes." Anthony Mauro says, "Super slick Slovak has immense pure skill with the puck...wavering intensity level means he misses impacting in a greater manner...great hands, eye for directing in open ice yet checks out when faced with pressure...his frustrating inconsistency draws parallels to a better skating Simon Stransky." Miro Simurka says, "Studenic is a pretty good skater, which is very rare in Slovakia. He is offensive minded guy, but as he played a lot against older competition he had to made a big step in his defensive game. In offensive zone he is every time in the right spot, he has instincts of a goal scorer. I would describe his stickhandling as very good both on the rush and in the traffic."

Here's a video from Prospect Videos on YouTube where you can see Studenic go coast to coast for a goal:

My quick, initial reaction is that I'm pleased with this pick. Studenic is still a bit of a project, like most mid to late round prospects, but definitely seems to have some offensive upside. I think as he fills out his frame and gains more experience in the North American game, then he should become more of an offensive force. I think this is a solid player to grab in the 5th round.

Now that you've read my initial reaction and know a bit about the prospect, let me know what you think of the selection in the comments. Do you agree or disagree with the pick? What are your expectations for this player going forward? Also, please vote in the poll below to let us know how you feel about the pick. Thank you for reading!

Note: This post is still in development until this note is removed. Thank you.