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The NJ Player Draft Guide

I'm sure some of these players will get more developed draft analysis by the site writers, but I thought I'd put together a brief list of draft prospects with New Jersey ties. Players are listed in order of their central scouting ranking. I didn't do long write-ups but I did link to their Elite Prospects page if you want more information.

Goaltenders:

#20 NA: Alexandros Aslanidis, Avon Old Farms (USHS-Prep), Moorestown, NJ

The Moorestown native played for mostly Philadelphia based programs, including St. Joe's Prep, before heading to Avon. He is expected to head to Providence College for the '20-'21 season.

#25 NA: Ben Kraws, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL), Cranbury, NJ

Kraws looks like he moved out of state as he played youth hockey for Little Caesars in Michigan and then for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. He will be at the University of Miami, OH next season.

Skaters:

#11 NA: Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL), Staten Island, NY

Kaliyev was actually born in Uzbekistan but moved to Staten Island at a very early age (and SI would be a part of New Jersey had New Jersey not won the boat race about who would be stuck with it). He is the biggest stretch to include on the list but SI is closer to the Prudential Center than some of these New Jersey towns so I'm going to keep him here. Odds are he will be gone well before the Devils come back on the board at pick #34. He had 102 points in 67 games this year in the OHL which is pretty impressive, and he'll only turn 18 around the time of the draft.

#37 NA: John "Jack" Farinacci, Dexter School (USHS-Prep), Red Bank, NJ

Farinacci played a season for Delbarton and was a NJ Colonial, before heading to first Shattuck St. Marys, and then the Dexter School, where he captained the team. He also got a few games with the US Juniors team this season. He will attend Harvard next fall to play for his uncle, Ted Donato. He was a 2 PPG player in Prep school this season, scoring 33 points in 16 games. He is probably a mid-to-late 2nd round pick. Not that it matters, because he'll probably just play four seasons at Harvard and then sign with the Rangers. (sarcasm tag?)

#39 NA: Marshall Warren, USNTDP (USHL), Laurel Hollow, NY

Warren spent two years with the NJ Colonials before spending a season on the North Jersey Avalanche U16 team, and then headed out to do two seasons in the USNTDP. As a lefty defensemen, he put up 46 points in 76 games this season. He is headed to Boston College in the fall.

#88 NA: Ryan Siedem, Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL), Madison, NJ

There's quite a gap in the rankings for NJ area prospects, as Siedem checks in as the 88th ranking North American skater. The righty defensemen is also a former NJ Colonial and also played a season at Delbarton, before heading to Avon Old Farms. From there he played at the USNTDP at a 17 year old, before heading to the Flying Aces, where he put up 36 points in 60 games. He is also headed to Harvard in the fall.

#92 NA: John "Jack" Malone, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), Madison, NJ

Another player who started off at Delbarton, from 7th grade until 10th, when he left to play for Youngstown. In his now 2nd full season in the USHL, he became a PPG player, putting up 59 in 57. The righty forward is 6'1", 192, and headed to Cornell in the fall.

#168 NA: Adam Samuelsson, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL), Rye, NY

Another slight stretch here, but the son of Ulf did play for the North Jersey Avalanche for a season, before doing two seasons in the USNTDP, and then splitting this past season between Boston College and Sioux City. According to Elite Prospects, Samuelsson is the heaviest draft prospect, at 240lbs. The lefty defensemen is also 6'6".

#174 NA: Nikita Nesterenko, Lawrenceville School (USHS-Prep), Brooklyn, NY

Nikita is a 17 year old forward, at 6'0" 157lbs, with deep NJ playing ties. He has played three seasons at the Lawrenceville School, in addition to playing for the Mercer Chiefs U16s and the New Jersey Titans U16 and U18 teams. He is committed to Brown University for the '20-'21 season.

#199 NA: Matt Brown, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL), Wood Ridge, NJ

Matt Brown is a 19 year old forward, at 5'9", 157lbs. He played for the NJ Rockets organization growing up and then did two seasons in the USHL, putting up 57 points in 57 games. He is headed to UMass-Lowell in the fall.

#200 NA: Nick Abbruzzese, Chicago Steel (USHL), Slate Hill, NY

Nick Abbruzzese played several youth seasons in NJ, playing for the NJ Colonials, NJ Youth Avalanche, and a brief stint with the New Jersey Junior Titans. He's 19 going on 20, so he's a bit overaged, but he did put up 79 points in 62 games as an assistant captain for Chicago this past season. He is also headed to Harvard in the fall.

NR: Landon Langenbrunner, Cloquet HS (HS-Minn), Cloquet, MN

Another stretch to include, but Landon Langenbrunner is the son of former NJ Devil Jamie Langenbrunner. He was born back when Langenbrunner was on the Dallas Stars team that finished runner-up to the Devils in the '00 Stanley Cup Finals. (Yes, we are all old now.) He is not ranked by Central Scouting but Elite Prospects listed him as a 2019 draft prospect so here we are.

Please let me know if I missed anyone. I'm unsure, for example, if there are any Princeton players or recruits who are draft eligible.

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