Risers and fallers in the Devils' prospect pool
JP Gambatese examines which prospects have seen their stocks change of late.
By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)
The New Jersey Devils’ pipeline is rather bland, with no real blue-chip prospects outside of perhaps Anton Silayev, who has been nothing but disappointing this season in the KHL, and Mikhail Yegorov, whose box score statistics are down behind a putrid Boston University defense.
Even with that in mind, keeping in touch with how the pipeline is performing is not trivial, as there are certainly players with NHL upside despite the general lack of blue-chippers.
Over the past month or so, the Devils’ pipeline has seen quite a few players with rising and falling stock, so let’s talk about a few of them:
Riser: Benjamin Kevan
For the vast, vast majority of the 2025-26 season, 2025 second-round pick Benjamin Kevan has been stapled to the fourth line at Arizona State University, struggling immensely to both produce and make a tangible impact in his minutes.
With Cullen Potter’s season-ending injury, Kevan moved up to the third line about two weeks ago.
He has taken his new position in stride, with five points in his last four games. In the one outing in which he was held point-less, he tallied four shots on goal – the exact type of statline you would want to see from a player of his skillset.
That skillset is rooted in rush offense, with Kevan’s speed, acceleration, and hands being perfectly suited to be a complementary transition monster.
He’s at his most dangerous while shooting in-stride, with a deceptive release he is able to execute at Mach 10.
Kevan’s in-zone offensive work, particularly off-puck, leaves a bit to be desired. His positioning without possession is unconfident unless he’s in transition, leaving him as a hit-or-miss player in a cyclic setting.
Defensively, he can be unengaged unless working toward a zone exit, and even then he typically positions himself as a pass outlet instead of the puck carrier.
Regardless, the uptick in production in conjunction with the increase in ice time is promising.
I would anticipate him getting more comfortable with the lackluster parts of his game as time goes on and he has more deployment to figure it out.
The rest of the season and beyond will be interesting for the 19-year-old.
