Devils Address Needs on Day 1 of NHL Draft I DRAFT

The Devils had a few areas of their organization that they wanted to address in the offseason, whether it was via trade, draft or free agency. Two of those - adding a high-end, puck-moving defensive prosect and adding a tough, physical tenacious player - were at the forefront of Day 1 of the 2021 NHL Draft.
The Devils used their two first-round picks on
defenseman Luke Hughes
(fourth overall) and
forward Chase Stillman
(29th overall). Hughes will give the Devils that blue-chip blue line prospect for the future. Stillman will give them a hungry, energetic and punishing presence.
"The common thing is the commitment to the game," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said at the night's conclusion. "They're two players that have skill. Having skill is one thing. But (having) drive, passion for the game. There's something to be
said about bloodlines
, too."

Both players certainly have bloodlines.
Luke is the youngest brother of the Hughes triumvirate
, following his brothers' footsteps in being a first-round pick: Quinn (Vancouver, 7th overall, 2018); Jack (New Jersey, 1st, 2019). But selecting Hughes wasn't just a slam dunk. The team went back-and-forth before finally settling on Luke in the early evening.
"I would say it crystalized at probably about 5:30," Fitzgerald said. "There were so many good prospects and the margins from one to the next, who has the highest upside, what's the potential? A lot of that went into it. Our scouts did a great job of putting this list together. At the end of the day, it was which player has the highest ceiling if everything clicks? I really felt it was Luke."
And thus, the Devils chose Luke.
"The passion he has for the game of hockey, the commitment he has to improve and develop, you just can't manufacture that," Fitzgerald said. "It's real. It's true. He loves the game. He's a rink rat. We're just so excited that we had the opportunity to do (draft him). The ceiling for Luke Hughes is unlimited. He has the potential to be a very good puck moving offensive-minded defenseman. And we're going to help him get there."

With their latter pick of the first round, the Devils went with a skilled and aggressive forward in Stillman, son of former NHLer Cory and brother of Chicago Blackhawks prospect Riley. Fitzgerald referred to Stillman's style of play as a "dog on a bone" with "sneaky skill."
"Our scouts were extremely passionate about Chase," he added. "He's got very good skill. The motor just runs and runs and runs. You can't teach that. There are players out there with a lot of skill and ability, but sometimes you have to kick them right in the behind. With Chase, sometimes you have to pull him back a little bit. I'd rather have a kid that I have to pull back the reigns than kick them. We're excited about Chase. It's a great opportunity for him. His development is starting right now with the New Jersey Devils."
The Devils did field calls from other general managers about making moves in the draft. They considered moving up in the first round if a certain player was available.
"I was on the phone with other managers about moving out depending on what was there," Fitzgerald said. "I was on the phone about moving up if there was a player there that we liked. There was opportunity, but it all depends on who that player is and where they fall. If they're off the board then you pull back.
"If one certain player was there, we would have done the deal. It didn't happen."
Fitzgerald also took calls from teams that were looking to acquire the Devils' 29th pick, but again, opted to hold the pick and select Stillman.
"I didn't think there was anything worth it," Fitzgerald said. "There were a couple of players as the pick got closer that we didn't want to give this away. We want to use it, and that's what we did."
The Devils used both of their picks from the day and added two high-quality players to the organization's chest that personify exactly what the Devils were looking for.
As Fitzgerald said: "The most important thing is both of these players check the boxes on the criteria of what it is to be a New Jersey Devil."