Three high-floor players the New Jersey Devils could target at 12th overall
JP Gambatese highlighted three players who could contribute in the NHL sooner than later.
By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)
Last week, I wrote about three high-ceiling draft targets for the New Jersey Devils, naming Viggo Björck, Wyatt Cullen, and Xavier Villeneuve as the options.
This time, I’d like to talk about a few names with high floors. To be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean that these players are low-ceiling individuals, though that can certainly be the case in some high-floor examples.
Regardless, let’s get into it:
Tynan Lawrence
Not too long ago, Lawrence was a consensus top-five pick, with many pundits and scouts putting him in their top three of the class.
At that time, he was lighting up the USHL as captain of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, with 10 goals and 17 points in his first 13 games of the season.
He matriculated early to Boston University in order to be more challenged and step up against more difficult competition, and the production predictably dipped a bit more than some were expecting.
All in all, he ended the NCAA season with seven points (two goals, five assists) in 18 games while playing predominantly middle-six minutes.
The production, to me, is entirely unconcerning. Lawrence was a fantastic playdriver on a BU team that just couldn’t put the puck in the back of the net on the many chances he set up, dominating transitional play and constantly making high-motor, high-effort passing plays that connected but were not finished.
He himself was somewhat snakebitten at the NCAA level, as he possesses a fantastic shot that didn’t find twine as much as it should have.
Lawrence is a great downhill attacker, approaching the game simply and calculatedly with excellent burst ability and straight-line speed. His work ethic is nonstop on both sides of the ice, and because of that, he is probably the best turnover-generating player in the draft class.
At worst, Lawrence will be a high-end, playdriving third-line center who will win defensive matchups as well in the NHL.
I believe he has the chops to perform far beyond that, with a legitimate argument that he could end up as the best center in the class in due time.
Adam Novotný
If the Devils are looking for a high-floor winger to play in the NHL in a couple of seasons, Adam Novotný is one that makes a good chunk of sense.
The 18-year-old Czechia-born winger lit up the OHL in 2025-26, with 34 goals and 65 total points in 58 games with the Peterborough Petes.
His calling card is two-fold: forechecking and shooting. As far as forecheckers go, I’m not sure there is a more ferocious individual available in the 2026 class other than Björck.
Novotný is absolutely relentless, taking it personally when the opposition has the puck in their own end.
He times his pursuits well, tailors his paths to the orientation of the defender, and has tremendous burst skating ability to pounce on loose pucks as soon as they’re wriggled free. It’s all you can ask for from a forechecker.
Past that, Novotný is an excellent shooter. His wrist shot is deceptive, powerful, and accurate.
He can beat goaltenders from distance by virtue of his mechanics, and he can beat them in tight by virtue of his strength on the puck and patience.
I think he has work to do in terms of his processing speed, but Novotný is certainly a high-floor prospect. His lowest projection, to me, is a high-energy third-liner who won’t drive play but will be the finisher and puck retriever on his line.
It’s a bit of a niche role to fill, but one that holds value nonetheless.
Ryan Lin
Perhaps no defenseman in the 2026 draft class is as well-rounded as Lin, who is one of my personal favorites.
His two-way game is absurd, impacting the game equally well on both sides of the ice. Offensively, he is a great skater with a very high IQ, being steps ahead of the defense in terms of seeing pass options before they come to fruition.
He can thread passes through multiple layers of traffic without issue, and has a penchant for generating high-danger looks around the goalmouth.
Defensively, Lin is superb on the breakout, scarcely turning over the puck and finding little deceptive ways to get the puck out of the zone.
Using the boards to chip it to a teammate, using head fakes to bait a pressurer into a particular direction before doling out a pass the opposite way, and finding stretch passes are staples in his breakout game.
He is excellent at retrieving the puck all over the ice and almost never makes a mistake in his positioning.
At minimum, I see Lin being a strong #4 defenseman in the NHL, though it is possible he ends up being more than that. He has the two-way chops to get it done as a minute-muncher.
If the Devils believe the best route with their 12th overall selection is to draft a player with a high floor – one who can meaningfully contribute to their lineup sooner rather than later – these three players are the way to go.
Not only do they have high floors, but each of them has the potential to blossom into top-six forwards or a top-two defenseman.