The Devils draft a strong forward in Chase Stillman with their second pick of the first round.
The New Jersey Devils weren’t done after taking the youngest Hughes brother fourth overall.
With their second pick of the first round, the 29th overall that they received from the New York Islanders in exchange for Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, the Devils selected Chase Stillman.
Freakin' pumped to add this winger to the family.
We've selected Chase Stillman 29th overall. pic.twitter.com/TLI0OtTaRd
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 24, 2021
Stillman is a centerman out of Sudbury of the OHL. Stillman battles for the puck well and is physical. He’s a good forechecker and uses his physicality well to gain puck control and create as well as score goals.
He’s growing into his size and using his physicality well, something that should come in handy for the Devils down the line. He’s described as a “power forward”.
Stillman’s father, Corey, was a long-time NHLer and the Devils are keeping with the trend of drafting members of hockey families.
This was a peculiar pick in that many will argue that Stillman was drafted too high. It seems like he was expected to go in the third round, so the Devils must have seen something they really like in Stillman to take him so soon.
The situation is reminiscent of last year when the Devils drafted defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin in the first round, much earlier than he was expected to be taken.
Let’s see if Stillman pans out and proves the Devils’ front office that they made the right decision by taking him so early.
