With the KHL season now rolling, three Devils prospects from Russia have come out of the gate looking sharp: two defensemen and a goaltender are all making noise early.
Daniil Orlov is the name New Jersey fans should already know. The 22-year-old defenseman, a Devils fourth-round pick in 2022, took a major step forward last season with Spartak. He averaged 21:12 a night, became one of their top blue-liners, and finished with ten goals and eighteen assists in 66 games.
He’s picked up right where he left off. Heading into Sunday, Orlov had three assists in his first four games, putting him on a 51-point pace.
Nikita Shcherbakov is also turning heads, even if the offensive numbers weren’t the reason New Jersey used a second-round pick on him this summer. The 6’5” defenseman has already scored his first KHL goal and added an assist in his first three games.
That’s a strong start for a player who appeared in only seven games in Russia’s top league last season while splitting time between the MHL and the VHL. Right now, he looks like he’s starting to settle into a real KHL role.
In goal, Daniil Ruskakovich has kept the momentum going from last season. He’s 4-0 in his first MHL starts of the year, with a 1.98 GAA and a .930 SV%.
Around the pool, there was also a big night for defenseman Sigge Holmgren with Brynas IF U20. He finished last season with just seven assists after missing a full year because of injury, so any offensive spark is a welcome sign that he may be finding his form again.
And one small but always welcome camp note: the Devils prospects reported this past weekend, and apparently everyone has been spelling Silaev wrong.
For anyone who missed the 5-4 OT loss to the Islanders in the first prospect game of the season, the highlights are worth a look. Matyas Melovsky stood out, Silaev looked strong in his first North American game, and Mikael Diotte showed some offensive pop before a bad pinch later on. James Nichols also offered a detailed individual breakdown and gave high praise to Silaev, Edwards, and Casey, while saying at the end that he would be surprised if Amadeus Lombardi did not make the Devils out of camp.
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Anton Silaev, the recent first-round pick, stood out with a physical edge in his first American game, while Matyas Melovsky helped spark a third-period rally with back-to-back goals. The Devils still dropped the game 5-4 in overtime, but the result mattered less than the impression left behind, with several prospects showing they are already pressing for attention as the roster picture begins to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
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The deal is notable not just for its length and cost, but for how it was built, with a heavy front-load and a significant portion paid in bonuses. For a team that has been careful about managing its roster and cap outlook, getting the paperwork done in time allowed the Devils to use a setup that would not have been available under the new CBA restrictions. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Rookies Just Gave Camp One More Tough Decision
The Devils wrapped up their Rookie Showcase with a 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders, and the closing game did exactly what this kind of event is supposed to do: make the next round of decisions harder. Shane Lachance, Ben Steeves and Cam Squires all found the net, while defenseman Seamus Casey added to a night that gave New Jerseys young players one last strong push before training camp begins.
Jakub Malek also turned in the kind of performance that tends to linger in a coachs mind, especially in a shootout setting where every little edge matters. For a Devils group still sorting out who deserves a longer look, the showcase offered more than just a win over a division rival - it gave the organization another batch of names that now have to be weighed seriously when camp opens. [Read more 🡒]