A new mock draft from Bleacher Report has interesting projections for each of the New Jersey Devils’ three first-round draft picks.
The New Jersey Devils will have three first-round picks in the 2020 NHL Draft and Bleacher Report’s Paul Kasabian has some new projections on who they might use them on.
If the NHL regular season is indeed over, the Devils would have two lottery picks, with one being their own and the other from the Arizona Coyotes. They also hold the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round pick that the Tampa Lighting briefly obtained before trading it to New Jersey for Blake Coleman.
In Kasabian’s latest NHL mock draft, he projects New Jersey to select center Marco Rossi with the sixth overall pick, goaltender Yaroslav Askarov 10th, and right winger Dawson Mercer at 17.
Rossi is an 18-year old Austrian born prospect from who currently plays for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League. He is ranked as the No. 5 prospect for the 2020 draft by Elite Prospects.
Askarov is the top-ranked goaltender in the 2020 draft per Elite Prospects and ranks 10th overall among all players. He is also the only goalie in Kasabian’s mock draft to go in the first round.
The 17-year old is a native of Russia who currently plays for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.
Finally, Mercer is an 18-year-old from Carbonear, Canada. He currently plays for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Per Central Scouting, Mercer is ranked as the sixth-best North American skater in the upcoming draft, just one spot behind Rossi.
The draft was originally scheduled for June 26, but it has already been postponed to a later date to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whenever it does take place, it will be an important day in Devils’ history. They have the chance to add three potential franchise cornerstones.
