FEATURE: Potential Names to Watch in the Second Round

At the 2019 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, newjerseydevils.com caught up with several draft experts and analysts. We asked a pair of them to give us some names of players the Devils might be inclined to consider in the second round, seeing as the club currently holds three picks there.
Here's a look at some of those players.

ROBERT MASTROSIMONE

The left winger played for Chicago in the USHL this past season, wearing the "A" for the Steel. He scored 31 goals and added 29 assists for a total of 60 points in 54 games. His production rocketed up this season after scoring just 16 goals in 2017-18, his first year in the USHL.
Mastrosimone was born just two hours away from Newark and played Bantam Hockey for the Long Island Royals in 2014-15.
NHL Central Scouting has him listed as their 53rd ranked North American Skater.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"I do like this left winger from the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League. His name is Robert Mastrosimone. He's a left winger with real good speed. He told me that a season ago he only had 15 goals and this year he elevated his play and now has 31 goals. I asked him what was the reason for the big turnaround and he says he had a lot more speed, a lot more push in the offensive end, and a lot of hard work in the summer helped him get there." - NHL.com's Mike Morreale

MADS SØGAARD

The towering 6-foot-7 goaltender was one of the 60-plus prospects to have met with the Devils in Buffalo.
He starred for Medicine Hat in the WHL, posting a 2.64 GAA and .921 save percentage in 37 appearances.
NHL Central Scouting has him as their second-ranked North American goalie.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"A real good-sized goalie… a real big kid. A player that size is hard to ignore, particularly if he plays that position in goal. He played with the Danes at the World Junior Championship, did a nice job there. The Danes were just kind of overmatched by other teams, but this is a goalie who did some nice things for Medicine Hat this year. I think he's going to go far with proper development. He could be another second or early third-round pick." - Morreale

SAMUEL FAGEMO

The 6-foot-0, 194-pound Swedish winger is NHL Central Scouting's 20th ranked European Skater ahead of the draft.
Skating for Frolunda in the SHL, Fagemo finished his 2018-19 season with 14 goals and 11 assists in 42 games. He represented Sweden at World Juniors, recording one assist.
Fagemo's father Linus played a long time overseas in numerous leagues.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"You look at the European side of things and there's a player, Samuel Fagemo from Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. We all know Frolunda from where Rasmus Dahlin played as a defenseman. Sam was a player that was passed over in the NHL Draft last year. This year, he told me that speed game, he was a lot quicker in the offensive end, he was disappointed he wasn't drafted this past year but it motivated him a little bit more to maybe see if he'd get drafted this year. That's a player who could go under the radar but I like his size, I like his finesse and what he's able to bring to the table." - Morreale

EGOR AFANASYEV

NHL Central Scouting's 16th-ranked North American Skater is a 6-foot-3, 201-pound winger from Muskegon in the USHL.
Afanasyev tries to model his game after Toronto's Auston Matthews and showed off his own scoring prowess this past season. He potted 27 goals and added 35 assists for 58 games.
This was a major improvement over his first season in North America, in which he only tallied six goals and eight assists in 45 outings.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"I look at a player like Egor Afanasyev from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and I see a player who is still a little raw but he has a ton of upside as a power forward. He might be available early in that second round if he's not snapped up late first." - The Hockey NewsSenior Writer Ryan Kennedy

RYAN JOHNSON

This 6-foot-0, 173-pound defender was born in Newport Beach, Calif. He scored six goals and added 19 assists in 54 appearances for Sioux Falls this season.
He won the Clark Cup championship and was named to the USHL All-Rookie Team.
NHL Central Scouting lists him as their 33rd-ranked North American Skater.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"Ryan Johnson also played in the USHL, for Sioux Falls, and won a title this year. The scouts call him a one-man breakout. He's a defenseman who is very mobile and we know that is a huge thing in the NHL these days so that's another player." - Kennedy

TOBIAS BJÖRNFOT

Björnfot is ranked seventh among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
The 6-foot-0, 202-pound prospect is described as a complete defender.
He recently captained Sweden's Under-18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning silver. He skated with the Swedes' Under-18 World Junior Championship gold medal squad.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"If you want to go safer, Tobias Björnfot from Sweden. Another defenseman, he's worn a letter for Swedes a couple of times internationally and he's a pretty safe, two-way guy. A lot of character. He's another player who is probably available early in that second round." - Kennedy