2017 NHL Draft: Devils Draft Matthew Hellickson at 214th Overall in Seventh Round

With their third selection of the seventh round, the New Jersey Devils draft defenseman Matthew Hellickson at 214th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He is the last pick of the Devils for this year’s draft; let’s learn more about him.

According to Elite Prospects, Matthew Hellickson was born on March 21, 1998. That means he is an overaged prospect; his first year of eligibility was last season. Hellickson officially stands at 6’0” and weighs 176 pounds. He was a member of the United States National Team Developmental Program through to 2015-16 and played in the World Under-18 Championships then. He played for the Sioux City Muskateers last season and did appear in the USHL Top Prospects Game. His next stop is South Bend, Indiana as he has committed to play for Notre Dame.

With Sioux City, Hellickson posted six goals, twenty-two assists, and 70 shots on net in 52 games with the Muskateers. In the postseason, he was kept to only one assist in thirteen games, although he registered twenty-one shots on net. He kept his penalty minutes low at only thirty. The USHL website doesn’t include ice time, but I’d like to think he played some significant role on the Muskateers.

There isn’t much on Hellickson in terms of a profile or a video. But that he’s going to the NCAA means he has plenty of time to grow. In fact, this selection is a lot like the Devils’ seventh round selection of Jeremy Davies last year. Like Hellickson, Davies was an overaged defenseman out of the USHL who committed to college hockey. Davies had a fine freshman year and he’s one to think about now. My hope is that Hellickson turns out in a similar way with the Fighting Irish. We’ll see.

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