Devils’ 2023 Late-Round Draft Targets

The New Jersey Devils don’t have a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft due to the Timo Meier trade, but they still have a selection in each round afterward. Having already written about some potential targets for the 58th overall pick in Round 2, let’s look at some prospects they could select in the third round and later. 

Yegor Sidorov

• Position: Forward
• Date of Birth: June 18, 2004
• Height: 6-foot-0, Weight: 176 pounds

Rankings

• NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters): 81st
• Elite Prospects: 114th
• FC Hockey: 170th
• FLO Hockey/Chris Peters: 70th
• TSN/Bob McKenzie: 88th
• McKeen’s Hockey: 115th

Yegor Sidorov is one of the most intriguing overagers in the 2023 draft. The 19-year-old finished the 2022-23 season with 40 goals and 76 points in 53 games for the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He has a lethal shot with a lightning-quick release and pinpoint accuracy. He’s a good skater, and he has a soft pair of hands that can lead to some flashy goals when he makes a power move in tight. 

Quotable

“[Sidorov] doesn’t force plays, preferring to delay to wait for help. In the offensive end, he slips behind defenders and times his sprints to the net for opportunities. Handling skill leads to deft net-front plays and the occasional flashy move through a defender. There’s also an inside-lane component to his game, making quick passes to moving targets in transition and cutting away from defenders along the boards.” – Elite Prospects

Juraj Pekarcik

• Position: Left Wing/Center
• Date of Birth: Sept. 12, 2005
• Height: 6-foot-2, Weight: 183 pounds

Rankings

• NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters): 41st
• Elite Prospects: 67th
• TSN/Bob McKenzie: 71st
• TSN/Craig Button: 39th
• FLO Hockey/Chris Peters: 79th
• Smaht Scouting: 100th

It’s another solid year for Slovak prospects, with Juraj Pekarcik being one of them. He bounced between pro and junior levels in Slovakia, totaling three points in 30 games with HK Nitra in the Slovak Extraliga and 20 points in 16 games with HK Nitra’s U20 team (with Šimon Nemec having played for HK Nitra last season, one has to wonder if the Devils already have some familiarity with Pekarcik). He was also a star for Slovakia at the U18 WJC, where he had 10 points in seven games. 

Pekarcik skates well for someone his size and has an intriguing offensive skillset that includes a decent shot. With a Sept. 12, 2005, birthdate, he’s one of the youngest players in the 2023 draft, if not the youngest. There is quite a bit of variance in his rankings, but he’d be a good choice for the Devils in Round 3.

Daniil Karpovich

• Position: Defenseman
• Date of Birth: Dec. 06, 2004
• Height: 6-foot-3, Weight: 209 pounds

Rankings

• NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters): 59th
• McKeen’s Hockey: 137th
• Daily Faceoff: 94th
• Draft Prospects Hockey: 77th

It’s rare to see a defender in the MHL — Russia’s top junior league — with Daniil Karpovich’s size post the offensive numbers he did in that league. Usually, someone at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, will be more of a stay-at-home defender, but Karpovich has offensive upside. The Belarusian defender totaled 10 goals and 35 points in 47 games for Avto Yekaterinburg, making him the fourth-highest-scoring defenseman in the MHL this past season.  

• 2022-23 Counting Totals – Wikman totaled two goals, 10 assists and 12 points in 43 games for Färjestad BK J20 in the J20 Nationell — the U20 tier of junior hockey in Sweden. He also appeared in 11 games for Färjestad in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), going without a point. 

3. Cole Knuble

• Position: Center
• Height: 5-foot-11, Weight: 185 pounds
• Date of Birth: July 1, 2004
• Rankings
  • NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters): 105th
  • Elite Prospects: 106th
  • Daily Faceoff: 111th
  • McKeen’s Hockey: 125th
  • Dobber Prospects: 77th
  • Smaht Scouting: 87th

• 2022-23 Counting Totals – 30 goals, 36 assists, and 66 points in 57 games for the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey League (USHL)

4. Yegor Klimovich

• Position: Forward
• Height: 5-foot-9, Weight: 158 pounds
• Date of Birth: May 10, 2004
• Rankings
  • FC Hockey: 53rd
  • Daily Faceoff: 107th
  • McKeen’s Hockey: 107th
  • Draft Prospects Hockey: 200th
  • Smaht Scouting: 92nd

• 2022-23 Counting Totals – Klimovich totaled 19 goals and 49 points in 36 games for Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk in the MHL

5. Arvid Bergström

• Position: Defenseman
• Height: 5-foot-11, Weight: 168 pounds
• Date of Birth: June 12, 2005
• Rankings
  • NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters): 58th
  • Daily Faceoff: 127th
  • Draft Prospects Hockey: 168th
  • Smaht Scouting: 63rd
  • FC Hockey: 141st

• 2022-23 Counting Totals – Two goals, 21 assists, and 23 points in 41 games for Djurgårdens IF J20 in the J20 Nationell

6. Brady Stonehouse

• Position: Right Wing
• Height: 5-foot-10, Weight: 194 pounds
• Date of Birth: Aug. 6, 2004
• Rankings
  • Daily Faceoff: 118th
  • The Hockey News: 78th
  • McKeen’s Hockey: 177th

• – 2022-23 Counting Totals – 37 goals, 20 assists and 57 points in 68 games for the Ottawa 67’s (OHL)

Devils Can Further Improve Prospect Pool Late

Obviously, there are plenty more choices for the Devils post-second round than the ones listed here. Their prospect pipeline is in pretty good shape at every position, so they could go multiple routes in rounds 2-7 on Thursday. And given the strength of the class, they should find some quality prospects.