Three undersized forwards the Devils should consider drafting

The Devils lack dynamic ability up front in their prospect pool. These players could help address that.

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By JP Gambatese (@JP_Gambatese)

Some of my favorite stories each year are the players drafted far further than they should by proxy of their size.

In recent history, there have been a handful of players fitting this profile who have made the jump to the NHL and immediately made a legitimate impact for their respective teams. 

Logan Stankoven. Cole Caufield. Recent Calder trophy winner Lane Hutson. All three of them slid far past where they should simply because of their statures, and they’ve each turned heads because of how important they have been to their teams.

The same holds true for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, where there is no shortage of diminutive prospects projected to slide far, far below where their skills and production should warrant a selection.

The New Jersey Devils, who lack oomph in their pipeline for the most part, especially up front, would be wise to take a flyer on any or all of them. 

Sure, you probably can’t build a lineup made entirely of 5’7-5’10 players and be successful, but talent trumps everything in this league and infusing it in any capacity should be considered a win.

Cameron Schmidt (RW)

Public scouting outlets rank Schmidt much higher than where the Devils are selecting — usually in the late-first round.

However, as Rachel Doerrie reported for ESPN.com, NHL executives and scouts seem to believe that he’s going to drop to between the third and fifth rounds. 

If that’s the case, and he makes it past both the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars (who can seemingly do no wrong with drafting), the Devils must pick the 5’7, 157-pound winger. 

Two facets of his game are arguably the best in the entire draft class: skating and shooting. 

Schmidt is without a doubt the fastest skater in the draft, with a top speed that would rank in the upper echelons of the NHL if he were a part of the league right now.

He has the explosion you would expect out of a player with his frame, flip-flopping from Mach-10 to a standstill at the drop of a hat, which allows him to toy with his opposition better than most. His edge work is sublime to boot, making him a magician in transition (and everywhere else on the ice).

Then there’s Schmidt’s shot, which could also be argued as the best in class. His 40 goals in 61 WHL games don’t do his release justice — he changes the angle of his shots seamlessly in order to fool goalies on a consistent basis.

His one-timer is electric, clinically compact, and generates a ton of power. Having watched Schmidt quite a bit this past season, I’m honestly surprised he wasn’t close to a goal-per-game player considering just how often he beat goalies clean every game. 

This isn’t to say he’s a one-trick pony, though, because Schmidt’s playmaking is pretty great, too. He can take over games single-handedly with high-level passing plays, finding high-danger opportunities for his teammates at will. The game simply slows down for him.

For a guy his size, Schmidt’s physicality is surprising. He almost leans too much into playing the body at the WHL level, pinballing around the offensive zone when he doesn’t have the puck.

He’ll need to adapt, but there’s no question that his game is high-level enough on all accounts to make a legitimate impact in the NHL. 

Adam Benák (C)