FEATURE: Q&A with Corey Pronman

There's a whole lot to like when you look into the Devils prospect pool these days. The diversity in talent continues to grow across the board, building towards an even brighter future for the franchise. Some of those top players have already made their way into the NHL lineup like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, but there's a long list of players knocking on the door and even more who are just entering the fold.
In a 'Q&A' Corey Pronman of The Athletic knows NHL prospects inside and out and shared his thoughts on the Devils' organizational depth and the outlook moving forward.

Question: Before the 2020 Draft and again after it was completed, your annual NHL Organization Rankings on The Athletic had the Devils in second place. Can you break down for us what were the main pieces of the puzzle in the pipeline that put the Devils in that upper echelon?
Corey Pronman:There are two big reasons. The first one was the two first overall picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. I would say neither of those two has probably hit what you kind of hope and expect they will be. But those two, in particular Jack Hughes, if they become even kind of close to what I think they potentially could be, those are kind of cornerstone building block caliber players. And the other reason would be the kind of the quality depth of the organization, you can get to a high ranking usually if you have like a really, really elite player, and Jack and Nico are close to that range, but having that, plus the quality depth, I think really kind of distinguishes the Devils in terms of their young talent. I mean, they've had so many picks the last couple of years.
Q: Speaking of many draft picks, the Devils made eight picks in 2020. What did you make of how their drafting went?
CP: I think post 2020 draft, you can kind of start piecing these things together. You can kind of start seeing what a legitimate top two lines look like, you can see what a legitimate top-four defense looks like. Maybe they need another really high-end defenseman in that mix arguably, but particularly the forwards, you can really see a foundation coming together there. We know with Jack [Hughes] with [Nico] Hischier and with [Alexander] Holtz and [Dawson] Mercer, Nolan Foote, to go with some of the guys they already have up there, I think there's a legitimate foundation there that they can see becoming part of a good team.
Q:And it's not just about players drafted, but the addition of young players acquired through Tom Fitzgerald's trades like Kevin Bahl (from Arizona) and Nolan Foote (from Tampa Bay).
CP: Yeah, I like Kevin Bahl and I like Nolan Foote. There're different calibers there, I would say Bahl and Foote probably arc towards the top of the calibers. Foote I think has multiple dimensions, not just a goal scorer. I think he has the size and he's got the skill and I think he's got pretty good hockey sense. They know he probably, because of his foot speed, won't be a true play driver in the NHL, but there's a lot of elements there that I think could help him play top nine, possibly in a top-six in the NHL. I think he's going to be a good player, he didn't have a great year in the [WHL] but I thought he was really impressive with Hockey Canada at the World Juniors. I think he's going to be a really good player.
Kevin Bahl has kind of grown on me the last few years after Arizona made him a second-round pick. He's been one of the contributing members of one of the best teams in the CHL in the last two seasons in Ottawa. I see a guy who doesn't have like a ton of offense, but I think the first pass is good enough given the size and mobility and the physicality that you can see. There are some specific things that he does at an extremely high level that I think will translate into the pro and particularly to the NHL, which will make him a useful, possibly even a good NHL defenseman.
Q: Does Ty Smith rank as your top defensive prospect for New Jersey?
CP: With Ty Smith, I think he has some dynamic components to his game that are just really skilled, a really intelligent puck mover, a rather mobile, really elusive player with his skill and his skating. [He's] just a guy I think you can envision being on an NHL power-play unit, now whether it's the first or second, we'll see when he gets to the big leagues. There are just more special elements to his game then I would say with Bahl and [Shakir] Mukhamadullin. Generally, I think there's just some really interesting offensive elements to his game that will separate him and have him become a significant player in that lineup.
Q:The Devils selected Alexander Holtz in the seventh spot of the first round. What makes this a fit for both Alex and New Jersey?
CP:I think with Alex, the two things that have always stood out to me are his elite skill and his elite shot. He is going to be known as the goal scorer, the guy who can finish from range and all that is true, and he does that at a really high level. But for me, he has like elite, elite hands. He can be I think, you know, he projects to be the kind of guy that can beat a lot of NHL defenders with his one-on-one play, and kind of be able to create on offense with his skill very consistently.
Q: What can you tell us about the 18th overall selection Dawson Mercer, playing with Chicoutimi in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League? What type of player is he projected to be?
CP: You saw a guy with high-end skill, high-end playmaking ability, he wins a ton of one-on-one battles, a guy who could score goals, he has size. There's a lot of dimensions there that I think is really appealing.
I think the reason why he [was selected] 17 is because of the average skating ability there were you know, that scared off some teams but I think there was others who said you know, that area is not great but he has all these other extremely appealing dimensions to his game with the strength of the skill, the hockey sense, the goalscoring ability, the competitiveness, the size, the ability to play, be a projected legitimate two-way center the NHL, I think he's a really strong prospect, someone I think is going to be an above-average forward in the NHL and it creates some interesting scenarios.
Q:A relative unknown to most fans, can you give us some insight into Shakir Mukhamadullin? What should we know about the defenseman playing in the KHL?
CP: This is a guy who was really just played up his age level for years. Now, this is a guy who plays with the U18's a year in advance, he played with the U 20s two years in advance at the international level. You know, those guys typically go high in the draft because there's something different about the toolkit that allows them to do that.
You know, there were some concerns about the offense. You know, you saw the size, you saw the reasonably mobile, not like incredibly fast, but reasonably mobile for a guy that size. Watching him the last couple of years there was always a question on the offense, now you're kind of watching him this year and see 'Oh, there's offense coming.' When I saw them make the pick, I saw how they connect those dots, and really, you know, see what was there.
Q: Is there a dark horse, lower down the Devils list where you list, players with NHL potential that you think has the right tool kit to maybe jump up a tier eventually, but still in that 'maybe just potential range now, but they have the tools to be a little bit higher up if they could put it all together.
CP:I was really impressed by Tyce Thompson when I watched him last year and he was one of the top scorers in college hockey. Providence has had some ups and downs but he and with [teammate] Jack Dugan, were clearly at the top of that level. He went [drafted] as a second-year eligible, and he didn't go high because of his average skating, but I think you look at the guy with his skill, his size, his goalscoring ability and I think that is a tool kit that looks like a pro, maybe because of the skate, he doesn't get to play high in the lineup. But there are enough components there that look NHL caliber that you can envision him becoming a useful, if not a good player if some things go right in his development.