New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: 2/26/19

The 20th week of the 2018-19 prospect update is here. It’s highlighted by Jesper Boqvist signing a one season contract extension in Sweden that appears to have a NHL out clause, Xavier Bernard and Jeremy Groleau getting on the scoresheet in QMJHL action, while Jeremy Davies and Reilly Walsh continue to be among the most productive NCAA defensemen. Akira Schmid has continue to post solid results in USHL play and Eetu Pakkila added 4 more goals to his league leading statline in Finnish junior hockey.

QMJHL

Jocktan Chainey missed both of Halifax’s games this past week due to an upper body injury. He has now missed 25 straight games with his last appearance coming on 12/28/18. It seems he will be out at least another week, then hopefully return. Halifax has 9 games left in their regular season which ends on 3/16.

Xavier Bernard had a goal, an even rating, 2 PIM, and 6 shots in 3 games last week. His goal against Acadie-Bathurst on Thursday was his first as a member of the Charlottetown Islanders.

Jeremy Groleau had 2 goals, an even rating, 2 PIM, and 7 shots in 3 games last week.

OHL

Ottawa only had one game last week so Mitchell Hoelscher wasn’t the most active prospect. Still, he made his time count as he had an assist, +1, and won 7/9 faceoffs in Ottawa’s loss to Kingston on Friday.

WHL

Ty Smith had a PP assist, even rating, 4 PIM, and 9 shots across 2 games last week. His 1.25 points per game now ranks 2nd among WHL defenders after Montreal Canadiens prospect Josh Brook (2/56, 2017 Draft) who has been on tear recently and now has a 1.33 points per game rate.

NCAA

Jeremy Davies had 3 goals (1 EV, 2 PP), 3 assists (all PP), +5, 2 PIM, and 6 shots in 2 games against New Hampshire. He currently ranks 8th among NCAA defenders with a 1.03 points per game rate. He ranks 3rd among NCAA defenders in PP points per game with a 0.60 rate.

Reilly Walsh had 2 PP goals, a PP assist, +1, and 4 shots in 2 games this weekend. He currently has a 7 game scoring streak with 3 goals and 7 assists. Over his last 11 games he has 5 goals and 9 assists. He currently ranks 7th among NCAA defenders with a 1.04 points per game rate. He ranks 5th among NCAA defenders in PP points per game with a 0.59 rate. You can see his goal against Brown from last Friday in the tweet below:

Matt Hellickson had an assist, +3, and 5 shots in 2 games last weekend.

Aarne Talvitie is out for the rest of the season due to knee surgery.

USHL/NAHL

Akira Schmid made 26 saves on 27 shots in a victory over Fargo on Friday. The following night he came in to play 28:58 of relief and make 8 saves on 9 shots in the middle of a game against Sioux Falls. On Sunday he made 20 saves on 22 shots in a loss to Chicago. His .922 SV% currently ranks 2nd in the USHL among qualified goaltenders.

Russia

KHL

VHL

MHL

Mikhail Maltsev had an even rating, 2 shots, won 54.17% of his faceoffs while averaging 13:34 across 2 KHL games last week.

Yegor Zaitsev was a +1 with 4 shots, a block, and averaged 15:30 across 2 KHL games last week.

Sweden & Finland

Jesper Boqvist had an assist, an even rating, 2 PIM, 4 shots, and averaged 19:46 across 2 games last week. The big news of the week came on Thursday when Brynäs IF announced that Boqvist has signed a contract extension for another season. A rough google translation of the article seems to suggests that should the Devils and Boqvist want a move to New Jersey for next season, then that option would be on the table. This comes across as Boqvist just making sure he has some more job security coming off of his strong season in Sweden.

Fabian Zetterlund is out for the season due to knee surgery.

Eetu Pakkila had 4 goals (1 EV, 3 PP), -2, 31 shots, and averaged 17:38 across 3 games last week. He is tied for 5th in the Jr. A SM-liiga in points with 56 in 49 games. He continues to lead the league in goals with 36. Hopefully this season is enough to show Kärpät that he has outgrown Finnish junior hockey. I have to familiarize myself with their roster situation and his contract, but if he can’t play for the first team next season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up elsewhere. I believe he is only on a junior contract with the club so a move to another European league, the AHL, or one of the CHL leagues could be an option.

Switzerland

Gilles Senn made 28 saves on 32 shots in a loss to SC Bern on Tuesday. He then picked up a victory over SC Bern on Friday as he made 39 saves on 42 shots. HC Davos has 4 games left in their regular season which will conclude next Monday. After that they will compete in the Relegation Playout round.

Your Take

Which prospects stood out to you this week? What do you think about Boqvist’s contract extension in Sweden? Would you rather see him gain another year of experience at the SHL level or do you want him in the NHL next season? What are your thoughts on Davies and Walsh as they continue to impress? Leave your comments below and thank you for reading!