CHL Prospect Pipeline – New Jersey Devils
Introducing the CHL Prospect Pipeline presented by Kubota, the premiere feature highlighting current CHL talent that has been drafted or signed by each of the National Hockey League’s 32 teams.
New Jersey Devils
Kevin Bahl
A dominant, physical presence on the back end, the hulking Ottawa 67’s blue-liner is an ideal shutdown defender who has continued to round out his game offensively over four seasons in the junior ranks, highlighted by a career-high, 34-point finish in 2018-19 in which he picked up six goals and 28 assists across 68 appearances to rank second in team scoring among defencemen. The 6-foot-7 rearguard then followed up that performance with 31 points in just 54 outings in 2019-20, helping him to earn a spot on the OHL Second All-Star Team. Originally chosen by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft before joining the New Jersey Devils the following year in the deal that shipped Windsor Spitfires alumnus Taylor Hall to the desert, the 20-year-old Bahl played the past season on loan in the pro ranks, counting seven games with the Devils in which he picked up a pair of points as well as a 27-game showing with their top minor-league affiliate in Binghamton. A native of Mississauga, Ont., Bahl has also been frequently called upon nationally, with his list of Team Canada accolades highlighted by gold-medal wins at the 2017 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as well as the 2020 World Juniors.
The “Bahl-Dozer” makes his @NHL debut tonight! #NoQuit | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/VaxBebCePq
— Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) April 29, 2021
Graeme Clarke
Playing with incredible pace, the Ottawa 67’s right-wing brings high-end foot speed, a quick release, and a desirable hockey IQ that allows him to find good scoring opportunities. Originally chosen with the sixth pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, the budding talent put together a modest rookie season in which he collected 25 points through 63 appearances, then saw a solid uptick as a sophomore as he found the scoresheet 34 times in 55 games to provide the 67’s with solid secondary scoring support. Not yet finished, the 2001-born forward was one of the club’s top performers in the postseason as he amassed 14 points in 18 games to help Ottawa advance to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Final. Returning for an injury-riddled third season, Clarke continued to impress, where despite being limited to 16 contests he produced north of a point-per-game in coming up with nine goals and eight assists. A 2019 third-round selection by New Jersey, Clarke played on loan with the organization for the past season, recording 18 points in 31 games with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils that came on the heels of a six-game stint with Slovakia’s HC Nove Zamky. An Ottawa native, Clarke has also represented his country on several occasions, including the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he led Team Canada White with six points in as many games, in addition to a gold-medal win at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Congrats Graeme Clarke!@Ottawa67sHockey winger and third round 2019 #NHLDraft pick has signed a three-year entry-level #NHL contract with @NJDevils.
DETAILS 📰: https://t.co/ej1Nq6Eu9O pic.twitter.com/MAhlX4qDW0
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 7, 2021
Nico Daws
Originally passed over in the 2019 NHL Draft class, the Guelph Storm netminder reinvented himself and his game to help woo the scouting community, returning with a slimmed down look and a renewed dedication to his craft. Playing as the understudy for his first two seasons with the Storm, Daws took command of the top job during his third year, making a career-high 38 appearances in which he found the win column 23 times and finished with an OHL-leading .924 save percentage. For his efforts, Daws earned a spot on the OHL First All-Star Team and was also recognized as the league’s Goaltender of the Year. That performance also helped the product of Burlington, Ont., get on the radar of Hockey Canada and earn a spot on the gold-medal winning squad at the 2020 World Juniors. A great positional goaltender, Daws stands tall in his crease and brings ideal size to play the modern game. Trying his hand on loan in the pro ranks this past season with ERC Ingolstadt of the top-level German league, Daws saw 10 total appearances and will build on that experience as he elevates to the Devils’ organization for the coming campaign following three seasons and 72 career contests with the Storm. A third-round selection by New Jersey in last summer’s NHL Draft, the 20-year-old agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with the club last month.
Congrats Nico Daws!#NHLDraft eligible @Storm_City netminder led the League with a .924 save percentage and five shutouts, being named the inaugural recipient of the Jim Rutherford Trophy as #OHL Goaltender of the Year: https://t.co/QAF37I3CMs pic.twitter.com/YOINZcF9DZ
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 19, 2020
Dawson Mercer
A versatile, all-situations centre who offers intriguing potential, the 19-year-old Mercer has continued to build the offensive side of his game over four seasons in the QMJHL split between the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Chicoutimi Sagueneens, highlighted by a career-high, 64-point finish as a sophomore that neared point-per-game production. While playing fewer games over each of the past two seasons, Mercer has continued to improve on that clip, first finishing 2019-20 with 1.43 points per game before upping that ratio to 36 points in 23 outings, good for 1.57 points per game, in the QMJHL’s recently completed campaign. The 2020 first-round pick then added 17 points in just nine playoff appearances, while at year-end he was also honoured as the league’s best defensive forward. The eighth pick from the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft, Mercer’s four-year junior career has totaled 194 contests in which he has collected 84 goals and 102 assists for 186 points. A native of Bay Roberts, N.L., Mercer has also seen success internationally with a resume that includes a gold-medal win at the 2020 World Juniors.
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1342137975560409088?s=20
Nikita Okhotyuk
A first-round selection from the 2017 CHL Import Draft, the Russian rearguard is a reliable, all-around defenseman who brings solid skill across the board. Spending three seasons with Ottawa from 2017-20, the budding blue-liner made 148 career appearances in which he collected 47 points, highlighted by his sophomore year in which he helped the 67’s compete for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. Spending the past season on loan with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, the 2000-born defender picked up six points in a 28-game stint that will provide the foundation for his full-time transition to the pro ranks in the coming campaign. Meanwhile, Okhotyuk has also had success with Russia internationally, highlighted by a bronze-medal victory at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. A second-round selection from the 2019 NHL Draft, Okhotyuk and the Devils reached an entry-level contract the following December.
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1142495930769465345?s=20
Jaromir Pytlik
Already owning NHL size, the Czech-born centre brings strength down the middle of the ice complemented with a willingness to make plays. Chosen by the Soo Greyhounds in the second round of the 2018 CHL Import Draft, Pytlik joined the Ontario-based club midway through the following season where despite the delayed start and the adjustment to the North American game he impressed in coming up with 19 points counting 11 goals and eight assists across 26 games before adding another eight points in just 11 playoff outings. Building on that performance, Pytlik then dazzled as a sophomore where in 56 games he reached near point-per-game production in registering 22 goals and 28 assists, good for fifth in team scoring. A fourth-round selection from last summer’s NHL Draft, the 19-year-old played on loan at the pro level last season, seeing a brief four-game stint with HC Stadion Litomerice of the tier-two Czech league. Pytlik has also made a pair of appearances at the World Juniors as well as a six-game showing at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he tallied twice and helped the Czechs take home the bronze medal.
Another Greyhound off the board!
Congratulations to @jaromir_pytlik on being drafted 99th overall by the @NJDevils #houndsnation pic.twitter.com/Z58uuDo5Fa
— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) October 7, 2020
Michael Vukojevic
A detailed defender who brings size and strength behind his own blue line, the Kitchener Rangers rearguard challenges the opposition with good on-ice awareness. Spending three seasons with the Rangers from 2017-20, Vukojevic has seen 155 career appearances in which he has collected 64 points, though his most impressive offensive performance may have come in his first-ever playoffs when he racked up 10 points through 19 games to rank second in scoring among Kitchener defencemen. A 2019 third-round selection, Vukojevic then played on loan this past season where he impressed in collecting 11 points through 26 showings with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old native of Oakville, Ont., has also earned opportunities internationally over the course of his junior career, including a gold-medal win with Team Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1372971913593692178?s=20