Three takeaways from the New Jersey Devils' draft class

Severely lacking talent up front in their prospect pool, Tom Fitzgerald made it a point of emphasis at the draft.

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The New Jersey Devils didn’t own their 1st round pick this year but still entered the draft with seven selections, including five in the top 115.

I thought they’d put some of that capital to use on the trade market but nothing materialized. Instead, they used their picks to add seven more prospects to the organization.

Let’s get into three takeaways from their work at the draft.

Devils go forward heavy

Prior to the draft, I predicted the Devils would make it a priority to add skill up front – particularly with their top pick(s).

The logic was simple. The organization is loaded with talented young defensemen from top to bottom. The Devils also possess a couple of promising goaltenders in the pipeline.

Barring someone high on their board falling, it made sense to go forward over any other position group.

Tom Fitzgerald clearly agreed. Five of the team’s top six picks were forwards, including all three top-90 selections. And the haul was pretty good.

Conrad Fondrk is a dual-threat center who gets pucks into high-danger areas for teammates while possessing the ability to finish as a one-shot scorer. He is also a high character player with leadership qualities. I would not be surprised if he pops at BU and, in a year or two, looks like a steal at 50.

Ben Kevan is an energetic winger who plays with a ton of speed and tenacity. He can create offense on the counter-attack as well as by beating opponents to space in the offensive zone. He led his team in assists, and finished behind only 19 and 20 year olds in points, so there is some upside.

Mason Moe was the team’s final top-90 pick. He is a smart, pass-first center who excels in play build-up and creating shots for teammates. His ceiling is probably similar to a Cody Glass-type of player.

Headlined by those three, the Devils added much-needed talent to an extremely shallow pool up front.

For the first time in a while, it feels like there are more than a couple of players with top-9 potential in the system.

Diving into the unknown