Stillman Eyeing Important Benchmarks | PROSPECT WATCH

This is a big season for Chase Stillman.
In fact, the Devils first-round pick (29th overall) from two years ago has some important benchmarks coming up over the next few months.
A little under a month from now he'll know if he's been invited to Team Canada's final World Junior evaluation camp. If, as expected, he earns an invite, he'll know if he's made the final cut within a week or so.
Whatever takes place between now and then, he has put himself in a good situation. He's playing on a good team with the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes in what will be his final season of junior hockey. An added bonus: he considers Peterborough his hometown, though his family moved around with his hockey-playing father's career.
"I think I've performed well," said Stillman of his season through his first dozen games but also in the summer with the Devils at two different camps and with Team Canada's summer get-together.
"Those (camps) are always fun."

Stillman was the Devils second first-rounder in 2021 and he was signed not long after. His selection took place a few hours after the choosing of Luke Hughes among raucous scenes at the Devils draft party. The contrast between the two picks could be a metaphor for their games: Hughes is a splashy, offensively-minded defenseman; Stillman excels in the finer points of the game as a two-way forward with an edge.
Both young men have personality. Taking the wider view, Hughes and Stillman are two of 10 Devils first-round picks since 2016. Two first overalls from that group, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, are slated to anchor the middle for years to come. Two other centers, Dawson Mercer and Michael McLeod could do the same further down the lineup.
That means there are five remaining first-rounders who are still in junior/college hockey, or with the Utica Comets (a sixth, Ty Smith was traded for John Marino). Stillman spent time with the Comets in last year's playoffs but was injured and didn't play.
Hughes is a shoo-in to make the American World Junior team. Stillman likely has some work to do at this point. It's worth noting that TSN's Craig Button, the former NHL general manager, recently predicted that Stillman should crack Team Canada's roster (Button also had Devils prospect Tyler Brennan as one of Canada's goaltenders).
Whatever takes place regarding the World Junior, the second half of the season in Peterborough will be a critical stretch for the 19-year-old Stillman.
On the surface, Stillman's stats don't blow anyone away. He has three goals and six assists in 12 games so far after a year when he had 10G, and 19A in 35 games in 2021-22. But the appeal for the Devils is his two-way game and the subtle things he brings to the table.
"I don't think (playing well) is always about statistics," explained Stillman, "I'm working on the things that New Jersey wants from me."
Stillman's junior career in many ways has been defined by the pandemic. Like all OHLers, he missed an entire season save for a small stretch playing overseas. He impressed with Team Canada at the U18 Worlds in Dallas in the spring of 2021. It was that performance that Stillman earned his selection and the general sense that he was first-round worthy.
Canada ran riot that year and was barely tested in winning gold. The core of that squad now progresses to the U20 World Junior level to be played in Halifax and Moncton.
As stated, Stillman has had some injury issues and is out with the flu at the moment.
"Not pretty," he said, in a follow-up text about the bug that caused him to miss two games.
The Petes are in the midst of four games in five nights after playing three-in-three last weekend.
"It's an important stretch for us, three-in-three are (never easy) and we have (even more) hockey coming up," he said.
Last season, Stillman was traded from his original junior team, the Sudbury Wolves, to the Petes. It was in Sudbury where his father, the retired NHL forward Cory Stillman, was his head coach. Cory Stillman, who won the Stanley Cup with both Carolina and Tampa Bay, is now an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes.
The Petes squeaked into the playoffs last season but are showing well so far this season, with the exception of the current stretch where they've been way-laid by illness and injury.
It's still early but it's a sign that Stillman could get lots of opportunities to play critical minutes for a good team that should be a playoff contender.
Those types of chances help prospects on the cusp of turning pro make critical progress.
"I think we have a really good team. We have players (a year younger than me) who have stepped up and been a big part," said Stillman, pointing out that many of his younger teammates are getting their first prolonged taste of action without pandemic interruptions and are flourishing.
"This extra year has made a world of difference. We have a good chance to make a long playoff run."