DRAFT: Devils Bring A True Sniper into the Fold

Alexander Holtz's favorite NHL player to watch?
Alexander Ovechkin.

NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said, "I think as an 18-year-old, there are only two other 18-year-old players playing in the Swedish League who have better stats than Holtz and those two guys are Markus Naslund and Peter Forsberg so I think that says a lot about him as an offensive player and a sniper."
The 18-year-old right winger from Stockholm, Sweden is NHL Central Scouting's second-ranked European skater from this year's draft class and they compare him to Nashville's Filip Forsberg.
Holtz says he has been working on his shot since he was very young. He'd shoot a ton of pucks at his parents' house, listening to music and working on his craft. When he wasn't doing that, he was down the street.
"We had an outdoor rink three minutes walking distance from my home," he said. "We were there all the time when I was younger. And I think everything started from there. The passion for hockey and the passion for shooting a puck."

Holtz is the perfect player to slide in next to one of the Devils two dynamic, young centers Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes some day in the near future. He's a guy who will bury many goals over the course of his NHL career. His finish is what play-making centers love to have on their wing. And Holtz will reap the benefits of their skill.
"I've think when you have that kind of center that is mobile and can play the puck and see the ice very well, as a scoring winner that can make good chemistry," Holtz said.
"It's really exciting. [They are] incredible prayers. I'm really looking forward to it."
Holtz says the Devils met with him roughly three times leading up to the draft. You could see he felt right at home with them when first-year GM Tom Fitzgerald said his name on the broadcast.
"It was incredible," he said. "I think everyone saw me and my family's reaction on the screen. We screamed at the house with my family and my friends. It's incredible. I think it's a feeling you can't describe."
Holtz is three games into his 2020-21 season with Djurgardens of the SHL and, you guessed it, he has a goal. Playing against men last year for 35 games prepared to do it again this season, except he's taking on an even larger role now.
"I think my 200-foot game will be so much better this season," he said. "I think my overall game is good. A good 200-foot player, but my best assets are in the offensive zone, of course.
"I've got a bigger role this year in Sweden on my team, playing on the top line and the power play. So, you get more chances when you have more ice time. I think you learn a lot from that."
Whenever he makes the jump, Holtz will be an absolute weapon for the Devils and the team's fans should be very excited to have him in the fold.