2017 NHL Draft: Devils Draft Jocktan Chainey at 191st Overall in Seventh Round

The New Jersey Devils traded their 185th overall pick, their second sixth round pick, to San Jose for two additional seventh round picks. So with the first of three seventh round picks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils selected defenseman Jocktan Chainey of the Halifax Mooseheads at 191st overall. Yes, he’s Nico Hischier’s teammate.

He’s also someone we at All About the Jersey profiled earlier this month. Mike wrote up a full profile about Chainey. So I encourage you to check that out. I will provide a summary of what the player is all about here.

Jocktan Chainey is one of the youngest prospects eligible for this year’s draft as he was born on September 8, 1999. He’s got good size as he’s listed at 6’1” and 194 pounds per Elite Prospects. The left-handed defenseman completed his second season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, his first full season with Halifax. Chainey increased his production from his 2015-16 season and he averaged over a shot per game, per Prospect-Stats. Chainey played well enough to represent Canada at the World Under-18 Championships, where he played in five games and picked up four assists.

In terms of what he is, he is projected to be a two-way defenseman. One point in his favor is his skating. While it’s a short description, it was a notable part of Steve Kournianos’ description of him in his May seven-round mock draft at The Draft Analyst:

Promising two-way defenseman with excellent footwork and sound instincts. Chainey reacts to dangerous situations with both poise and confidence, and being a very good skater helps maintain a tight gap and win a fair amount of footraces. Although he shared power play ice with Nico Hischier, Chainey was Halifax’s nominal power play quarterback. He has a good, accurate shot and a quick release, and when pressured will use bank passes effectively. Getting stronger will be important as he struggles with one-on-one battles, but his defensive-zone play is quite good for a puck mover.

This is encouraging to read and knowing how young Chainey is, he has the time to grow into something more. In Mike’s profile, he figured on Chainey being a potential fifth round pick. He’s a Devils selection in the seventh. Given that value, his position, and what he has done so far, I like the selection.

Now it’s your turn. What do you think about the pick? Do you like Jocktan Chainey? What do you hope for him? Please leave your answers in the comments and please vote in our poll. Thank you for reading.