We’re formally within every week till the 2024 NHL Draft kicks off at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The New Jersey Devils possess the tenth total decide and have the possibility to decide that may propel them to the following stage.
We at the moment are conscious of 1 participant the Devils interviewed. That participant is right-winger Beckett Sennecke, per NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky.
Sennecke Climbs Up Rankings
The 18-year-old Sennecke performed this season for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the place his counting stats don’t actually resemble that of a top-10 decide. He had 68 factors in 63 video games, which ranked thirty eighth within the league.
Many mock drafts initially had Sennecke exterior of the primary spherical totally, however the dialog has rapidly flipped to having him go wherever between roughly fifth and fifteenth. How might this occur? Nicely, Sennecke underwent a large development spurt: from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-3 mid-season. Consequently, he needed to partially re-learn the way to skate and play hockey in his new physique. He struggled mightily with it for some time, at one level scoring simply three objectives in 12 video games. He was held off the scoresheet extra usually than he was on it.
However as soon as he began placing all of it collectively, he completed the common season with 22 factors in his final 12 video games. That’s a 1.83 points-per-game (P/G) tempo that might put him second in all the league. He topped it off with 10 objectives and 22 factors in 16 playoff video games. In all his video games mixed, he was a plus-42 as nicely.
It’s been abundantly clear that the Devils want extra measurement. Including a big ahead into the combination who excels in all areas of his sport would do wonders.
Scouting Stories
The Hockey Writers’ Matthew Zator outlined Sennecke in his prospect profile: “His shot and playmaking alone make him worthy of a first-round decide, however his different strengths in measurement, fingers and skating push him excessive. In actual fact, he’s been described as one of many three finest playmakers within the 2024 draft class, able to placing up 50-60 assists as a winger within the NHL sometime.”
Associated: New Jersey Devils’ 2024 NHL Free Company Information
When trying over his tape, he considerably jogs my memory of Tage Thompson from the Buffalo Sabres. His fingers are completely phenomenal, typically permitting him to create one thing out of nothing. His shot is considerably underrated and carries a ton of velocity behind it. He excels on the forecheck with an extended attain and isn’t afraid to go to the soiled areas.
NHL Central Scouting stated, “(Sennecke has) nice puck expertise together with his hockey sense to generate possibilities. He makes good selections and selections, succesful to learn and make the performs at excessive velocity. An asset on the ability play together with his fast launch or one-time choice.”
Whereas he solely weighs barely over 180 kilos, he actually has a while to develop into his body. The work ethic is there, although, and the buy-in to power coaching shouldn’t be a problem.
Timeline For the Devils
After Macklin Celebrini and Ivan Demidov early within the draft, no one is mostly a sure-fire choice. There may be all the time threat concerned, however with the general upside it wouldn’t be stunning to see Sennecke taken by the Devils.
If he can flip into one thing even near a Tage Thompson-type participant, that may imply the world for the Devils. It might take a few years for him to fill out and alter to professional hockey, however I don’t assume that’s as dangerous of a factor as some are making it out to be. With the eventual extensions of Simon Nemec, Luke Hughes and perhaps Seamus Casey, Sennecke’s entry-level contract would come at an ideal time, and pay dividends.
Within the meantime, the Devils may have simply over $16 million to enhance the crew by way of free company or commerce. It’s extensively recognized that this is without doubt one of the most necessary offseasons for the Devils in fairly a while. They already made an enormous splash in buying Jacob Markstrom, but it surely was just lately reported that Fitzgerald can be looking for a top-six ahead, bottom-six ahead, top-four defenseman and bottom-four defenseman. Whereas Sennecke received’t instantly assist, touchdown a participant like him has the potential to change into an important acquisition towards a future championship-contending Devils crew.
