The New Jersey Devils entered the National Hockey League (NHL) Draft with seven picks. They opted to hold on to all seven, drafting players that they hope will become difference makers down the road. Get to know the newest members of the Devils’ organization:
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The Devils are clearly banking on the upside of Conrad Fondrk, who broke his leg in March, causing him to miss the U18 Worlds. He had 27 points in 40 games for the US National Team Development Program (NTDP), which was a lesser pace than his previous season, when he was near a point-per-game.
However, right before the injury, he begun to hit a different gear, notching eight points in his final four (full) games. Three of those games were against Division I colleges (six points). For his size, he has much more muscle than many other 6-foot-tall prospects. Clearly, the Devils are banking on the small sample size turning into consistency. He’s committed to Boston University, where he’ll be teammates with promising Devils goaltending prospect Mikhail Yegorov.
Once again, the Devils took a smaller American forward as they opted for the 6-foot-tall Kevan. It was good slot value, as he was ranked as early as #30 (Draft Prospects Hockey) and an average of #55 from 15 major outlets. Like Fondrk, he saw a slight dip in production from 2023-24 to 2024-25, which could signal that it’s more to do with the lack of talent surrounding him than his own talent.
Kevan is extremely speedy and tenacious on the forecheck. He has shown flashes of offensive dominance and an ability to rise to the big moment; he had the bronze medal winning goal for Team USA at the U18 Worlds. He’s committed to Arizona State University.
The newest New Jersey Devil, Benjamin Kevan’s, overtime winner to secure the bronze medal at the U18 World Championships. 🥉 #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/hnzLRf6IOh
— Daniel Rebain 🇺🇲🇵🇱 (@pvtmcbain) June 28, 2025
If you thought they were done with American forwards, you were wrong. Moe has shown offensive skill and has nicely progressed each season, but it’s still yet to be seen if he can ever reach NHL-level talent. He had 43 points in 51 games for the Madison Capitals of the United States Hockey League (USHL), and added six points in six playoff games.
He’s a bit of a wild card based on how big of a step he can take next season. He was ranked as early as #57 (FC Hockey) and as late as #138 (Recruit Scouting). Like the first couple picks, speed is his strength. He’s committed to the University of Minnesota.
For where the pick was, Bennett, an overager at 19 years old, seemed like a bit of a reach. But there’s some huge upside as a massive 6-foot-8 netminder. He unconventionally played in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), where he had a .912 save percentage (SV%). But then he had a really rough playoffs with an 0-3-0 record and .859 SV%.
He also had a six-game sample in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Owen Sound Attack, sporting an impressive .923 SV% despite largely getting left out to dry. If that’s more of who Bennett can be, then there’s a potential home run. Despite being off most outlet’s draft boards entirely, some say he moves like he’s 6-foot-2, which is promising.
The Devils got some pretty serious value in Hillstrom, who was ranked as early as #29 (Tony Ferrari) with an average of #69 across 15 major outlets. He’s not a massive offensive presence, but plays a responsible and physical two-way game and already got some experience playing pro in Sweden.
He had 38 points in 43 games for Brynäs IF’s U20 squad, but (reasonably) struggled when called up to their main squad, with two points in 18 games. If he adds a little more muscle to complement his scrappy offensive playstyle, he can break out while playing pro in Sweden.
In this draft that was largely considered a “weak” one, players around this range may have gone in the seventh round, or even gone undrafted, in previous year’s renditions. With that being said, there’s still some to like in Rozsival’s game. He had 37 points in 30 games for Bílí Tygři Liberec’s U20 team in Czechia, and got five games of experience at the top pro level too.
He’s solid on the forecheck and protects the puck well, in addition to some defensive prowess. If his offensive game translates well to the pro level, he could become a solid bottom-sixer in the NHL.
Elite Prospects does not have Holmgren listed on any major outlet’s draft board, but the Devils selected him nonetheless. In fact, when scouring the internet, it’s near impossible to find anything related to Holmgren and the 2025 draft. Despite being off most radars, there must be something the Devils saw.
He’s labeled as an offensive defenseman, as he had 16 points in 18 games for Brynäs IF’s U18 team. But in just five games with the U20 team, he had one single point. Given all we know, it would be a surprise to see Holmgren find success at the NHL level one day, but sports are unpredictable. Maybe he breaks out next season in Sweden and establishes himself as a legitimate prospect.
Looking Forward
With such limited cap space, the Devils still have a lot of maneuvering to do in order to ensure contention in 2025. Since they opted not to deal any of their picks, the next few days will be vital for their future. Free agency will begin on Jul. 1.
