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2023 NHL Draft Preview for the New Jersey Devils: How to Watch and More

The NHL draft kicks off tomorrow in Nashville. Though the Devils do not have a first round pick, there will be plenty of action and potential trades. This post previews what to expect.

By JamesJTracy and John Fischer
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2022 NHL Draft Lottery
Thankfully, there were no lottery cards this year for the Devils.
Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images

Tomorrow is the return of the NHL Draft to June. Nashville is the place to be for the 2023 NHL Draft. The two-day format returns. While the New Jersey Devils do not have a pick in the first round, whoever is selected is of interest as you may see some of those players in the near future. As in next season in the case of Connor Bedard and perhaps a few others. The 2023 NHL Draft is coming up and so this post is a one-stop preview for the event as a whole.

The Event: The 2023 NHL Draft

The Location: The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The First Day: Wednesday, June 28, 2023

The Rounds Selected on the First Day: The First Round

The First Day Start Time: 7:00 PM ET

The First Day Broadcast: TV - ESPN, Sportsnet, TVAS

The Second Day: Thursday, June 29, 2023

The Rounds Selected on the Second Day: The Second Round to the Seventh Round

The Second Day Start Time: 11:00 AM ET

The Second Day Broadcast: TV - NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVAS;

The Second Day Picks for the Devils: The Devils currently have six picks for the second day barring any trades. The full ordered list of all 224 picks is here.

  • Second round - 58th overall
  • Third round - 80th overall (originally Calgary’s pick, acquired from Columbus in the Damon Severson sign-and-trade)
  • Fourth round - 122nd overall
  • Fifth round - 154th overall
  • Sixth round - 186th overall
  • Seventh round - 218th overall

Except for the third rounder acquired from the Damon Severson sign-and-trade, the Devils owned these picks. Their first rounder went to San Jose in the Timo Meier trade back in February. Their original third round pick was sent to Pittsburgh with Ty Smith for John Marino last Summer. Both of those picks are late in their respective rounds due to the 2022-23 New Jersey Devils being really good and winning a playoff round.

Will the Devils Use All of These Picks?: The correct answer is always maybe. But I doubt the Devils are in a position to move on up short of someone to take a late flyer on. I think they will use the picks if they still have them as of 11 AM on June 29.

Who Do You Think the Devils Will Draft?: Trying to mock draft the 58th overall pick is fool’s errand. In terms of prospect pool need, center would be a position to beef up. In terms of where the picks are, any one with a legitimate NHL future would be a fine selection.

Based on past Devils drafting trends, they have been consistent in drafting at least one (1) goaltender and at least one (1) player from a largely Russian league (KHL, MHL). They can definitely get those with the picks that they have.

Who did AAtJ Profile This Year?: We did a number of profiles, largely targeting those that could be available where the Devils are picking.

Alex Ciernik W HockeyAllsvenskan

Jakob Dvorak D Czechia

Paul Fischer D USA NDTP

Jacob Fowler G USHL

Mikhail Gulyayev D KHL/VHL/MHL

Lenni Hameenaho W Liiga

Roman Kantserov W MHL

Jesse Kiiskinen W Liiga

Jaden Lipinski C/W WHL

Gavin McCarthy D Boston University (committed)

Aram Minnetian D USA NTDP

Danny Nelson D USA NTDP

Coulson Pitre F OHL

Felix Unger Sorum F SHL

I Like Draft Prospects, Who Should I Check Out to Learn More About Them: There are plenty of resources available online to get more involved with draft prospects. These people and sites informed our prospect profiles and our own opinions about this year’s draft class. In no particular order:

Elite Prospects

Smaht Scouting, led by Josh Tessler

Dobber Prospects

Ben Kerr at Last Word on HockeyBrock Otten of OHL Prospects

McKeen’s Hockey ($)

The Athletic ($) featuring Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler

The Hockey Writers

OK, But What About the Names? What Are the Cool Looking/Sounding Names in This Year’s Draft Class?: Here’s a selection of names that just stick out purely for their names:

John’s Picks:

And John’s personal favorite:

Defenseman Brady Cleveland of the USNTDP. This is a fantastic alias for famous people and undercover work. And now it shall be honored at hockey sites for years to come.

James’s Picks: the top two ranked International goalies per central scouting.

Alexander Hellnemo - Skelleftea Jr. Sweden

Juha Jatkola - Kalpa Finland

What Are You Doing for the 2023 NHL Draft?: We will try to have a post up with a poll for every pick made. If there is a significant trade, we will cover that too. We will continue our practice of having something short up and updating it later with more information. We will have one summary for the whole draft instead of two since there are no picks in the first round for the Devils. Of course, there will be an open post for each draft day for you to have your say about anything and everything happening at the 2023 NHL Draft.

The draft will take place to continue what has already been a very busy and active week of activity in the NHL. Please leave your thoughts, expectations, hopes, and dreams for the 2023 NHL Draft in the comments. Thank you for reading this year’s preview of the 2023 NHL Draft for the New Jersey Devils. Go Devils.

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