Fitting the Mold | FEATURE 

There's always one thing at the top of mind as NHL Draft day arrives and the Devils prepare to make their picks.

It’s always ‘best player available’. But with a caveat of sorts.

‘Best New Jersey Devil available,’ perhaps, is the better way to look at it.

The foundation of the NHL Draft for the Devils brass begins right there.

“You need hockey sense and you need to compete,” Chief Scout Mark Dennehy explained. “At the end of the day, this is a competition, so a desire to win, a hatred to lose. But there needs to be a skillset and also the ability to play fast. When you think of the Devils, you think of Jack Hughes, you think of Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischer and Luke Hughes.

“These guys play fast,” he continued. “So you need to be able to play fast, there needs to be a skillset, but you can have that—if you're not willing to compete or you hate to lose, you're gonna have a tough time making hay in our locker room.”

And then there were the wise words of Devils Executive Vice President Martin Brodeur.

“At our midterm meetings, Marty Brodeur talked about something that kind of really resonated with the whole group, about, are you a hockey player and how willing are you to fight through whatever you need to fight through to be a player?,” Dennehy shared.

And it’s clear, with the Devils top two picks in particular in 2025, those words and that question asked rhetorically by Brodeur, resonated, starting with the player who sat atop their draft board with their first selection was on the clock.

In the second round, 50^th overall, the Devils selected Conrad Fondrk, a forward from the United States Development Program, who is committed to playing at B.U. next season.

“Conrad Fondrk is a first round talent,” Dennehy said. “Talking with someone that's involved with the national program, they talked about, you know, if you were to pick him in the second round, you're gonna get potentially the steal of the draft. He can shoot it, he sees the ice, but there's limited viewings because of injuries.”

Fondrk broke his fibula in March in a game against Wisconsin. But that did not deter the Devils.

“He's a young man,” Dennehy added. “those types of things heal, and his ceiling as an all-around player, he’s really a dynamic producer, was worth the risk. We took a little flyer there, but it wasn't because of ability; it was more about viewings and injuries.”

With their second pick in the second round, New Jersey selected Ben Kevan, a right wing out of the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL.

Another exciting swing for Dennehy and his staff and a player they feels has that unwavering drive.

“We're just really thrilled, he said. “We didn't think he'd be there and he was.”

“Ben really competes, gets on pucks, Dennehy further explained. “It was a tough season in Des Moines, and I'm sure he had other options. A player of his stature probably could have asked for a trade, and he wanted to be there and pushed through, which shows leadership. But I think that bronze medal overtime goal is a little bit of an indicator of what this guy's about. Really earned his ice time in the U18 tournament, and then ended up getting the bronze medal winning goal.”

When all was said and done, the Devils made all seven selections, drafting five forwards (three centermen), one goalie, and a defenseman. It just so happened that way, being able to stockpile at the forward position. When it comes to the later rounds of a draft, you’re really relying on your scouting staff in intricate ways, they know these players better than anyone. And general manager Tom Fitzgerald, appreciates seeing his scouts go to bat and bang their fist on the table for players they believe in.

They know what is expected of a New Jersey Devil and they are the ones who can qualify best why these players work.

“I really want to give a lot of credit to our scouts, the hard work they put in turning over so many stones and leads and information gathering,” Dennehy said. “And I just felt like we were really prepared. I got to be honest, was a hard year like we had as a tough a group of meetings and and hammering out our list as as we've had since I've done this, but it's always done respectfully. We've got some really great opinions, not always agreeing and and this is the fruit of it. And so, really proud of what we've done.”

“It's ceiling first and foremost,” Dennehy said. “We're looking for value. But as you get to the mid to later rounds, there's not much that separates players. So whenever you can, center's a position that has value. And sure, we could use some centers in the system, but when push came to shove, it was all about, "Do we think this could be the best player available at this time?" And so I think that's really what we're excited about, just looking at all of these players we think there's a lot of upside.”

And now, with the 2025 Draft come and gone, perhaps the scouts will take a moment to breath before it all picks up again. On the outside, looking in, it’s two days of draft coverage. But in the thick of the weeds is an exceptional staff, who spend countless hours, year-round, across the world viewing draft eligible players. They make their way into small town ice rinks, carrying at the core, what it is to be a New Jersey Devil and finding those best available players.

At the core, it’s about drafting the best available player and underscoring how that player can reach their maximum potential in a New Jersey Devils mold.

Soon, it will be on to the next. But for now, Dennehy feels good about the group they’ve come away with, before starting all over again.

“We got some sneaky picks, we really took some swings.”