At long last, it is time to reveal the results of our big offseason community effort: the Top 25 Under 25. Six of our writing staff and 106 wider community members voted in this year’s rankings, and I am happy to begin announcing the final tally here. This year, we had 41 players to rank, and I think both writers and community commenters agreed that the rankings could get a bit murky after the first 15 or 20 players. The Devils’ under-25 cohort is rather top-heavy at the moment, a consequence of returning
to playoff contention and having to send out prospects to make deals over the past few seasons. On top of that, we do not have specific criteria for how to rank these players. Everyone judges the group a bit differently. Maybe some voters value professional experience over long-term hope and promise. Maybe some voters are more preferential towards certain leagues than others. Some voters prefer more traditional NHL builds, while some look more to the scoresheet or even advanced tracking where they can find it.
With that, let’s get on to the rankings. This season, we had 16 outsiders, and this post covers each of them.
The Outsiders
41. Tyler Brennan (G) — Last Rank: 27 — Age: 21 — 2024-25 Team: Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Needless to say, the Devils and their fans likely had higher hopes for Tyler Brennan when he was drafted in the fourth round in 2022 after having an .899 save percentage alongside a 3.58 goals against average for the Prince George Cougars in the WHL. Many goalies with those kinds of numbers turn out better once they have a more solid defense in front of them, but Brennan has not yet bested his draft year performance. In his D+1 season, his save percentage dropped to .898, but his goals against average was only 2.86, meaning he faced far fewer shots but did not improve. After signing with the Devils, Brennan played just 13 ECHL games in 2023-24, where he had an .896 save percentage and 3.16 goals against average for the Thunder, while Isaac Poulter and Jeremy Brodeur got the majority of games. In the past season, it was even worse for Brennan, as his save percentage dropped to .878 with a 3.48 goals against average in 29 ECHL games. He has yet to crack the AHL.
Fortunately, Brennan is still 21 years old, but I might not expect the Devils to keep him beyond this season if he does not show a big step forward. However, with Nico Daws (if he can clear waivers and does not get traded) and Jakub Malek slated to play in Utica, Brennan will have to beat out Jeremy Brodeur (who has a .921 SV% in 10 AHL games and .909 SV% in his ECHL career) and play his way out of Glens Falls. At this point, it seems the deck is rather stacked against him in this organization.
40. Viktor Hurtig (D) — Last Rank: 38 — Age: 23 — 2024-25 Team: Michigan Tech (NCAA)
The Devils took a reasonable swing on Viktor Hurtig in the sixth round of the 2021 Draft after he had no trouble finding the back of the net as a defenseman in the Swedish J20 league after moving from forward to defense at 16 years old, along with three points in seven HockeyEttan (third-tier Swedish hockey) loan games. Hurtig, a 6’6” right-handed defenseman, seems to have stagnated since then. He had only 17 points in 47 J20 games in his D+1 season before committing to Michigan State University, where he only had seven points across 43 games between 2022 and 2024 before transferring to Michigan Tech, where he had five points in 35 games last season. While his Elite Prospects page says he is going to play with Karlskrona HK of the HockeyEttan this season, the Devils’ prospect profile for him says that he will continue playing at Michigan Tech, which is backed up by their interview of him in the article. Hopefully, he stays at Michigan Tech and rediscovers a bit of the offense he has lost as a defenseman.
39. Jeremy Hanzel (D) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 22 — 2024-25 Team: Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL)
Coming to the Devils as part of the return in the Erik Haula trade this June, Jeremy Hanzel is far down the defensive depth chart after playing 61 games with 22 points and a -24 plus/minus in the ECHL last season. I am not really sure why Hanzel was brought over to the Devils, as they are not exactly starving for left-handed defensemen in the system. He will have to beat out a few of Dennis Cholowski, Colton White, Topias Vilen, Ethan Edwards, Jackson van de Leest, and Ryan Wheeler for playing time in Utica. Hanzel did show some offensive promise with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL, but he is still figuring out professional hockey.
38. David Rozsíval (RW) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 18 — 2024-25 Team: Bílí Tygři Liberec U20
(Czech U20)
Son of retired Czech professional Patrik Rozsíval and nephew of retired NHLer Michal Rozsíval, David may be jumping from Czech juniors, where he put up over a point per game, to the USHL, where he will play for the Green Bay Gamblers. At least, that is what Elite Prospects thinks he’s doing. The Devils’ prospect profile on him says he will return to Czechia to attempt making the men’s club at Bílí Tygři Liberec, where he played five games last season. A left-handed shooting right-wing, Rozsíval is reputed for his puck carrying ability and has generally been a goal scorer in his juniors career, and I rather liked him as a sixth-round grab in this year’s Draft. Either of those moves would likely be an improvement for Rozsíval, who could either use an advancement to professional play or a transition to North American juniors.
37. Artyom Barabosha (D) — Last Rank: 36 — Age: 21 — 2024-25 Teams: Zvezda Moskva (VHL) & CSKA Mosvka (KHL)
Artyom Barabosha will not be moving to North America anytime soon. The Devils will have to trust that CSKA Mosvka will develop him well, though it’s been a bit downhill since 2o23-24, when he scored a goal and three assists in 21 KHL games. After that season, Barabosha signed a KHL deal through the 2026-27 season, though he has only played 12 KHL games since signing, largely relegated to Zvezda Mosvka in the VHL. Of course, former NHLers such as Nikita Nesterov and former Devils such as Nikita Okhotiuk, Christian Jaros, and Fredrik Claesson took up many defensive minutes for CSKA last season, alongside KHL veteran Nikita Sedov. I would hope that Barabosha might make the KHL team at some point this year, as Jaros, Claesson, and Sedov are no longer with the club. He would still be on a team full of former NHLers, as CSKA signed Spencer Martin and Daniel Sprong to push them towards contention. Thankfully, they have not stacked the blueline as much this year.
36. Sigge Holmgren (D) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 18 — 2024-25 Team: DNP, Brynäs IF J20 (J20 Nationell)
Sigge Holmgren is simply a question mark. The Devils nabbed him in the Draft despite not playing a single game in the 2024-25 season, as they worried he might be a higher-round overage target for teams once he got back onto the ice for Brynäs IF. Per the Devils’ prospect profile, he missed the year due to shoulder surgery. There is not really any video to go off of for judging Holmgren, though he had a good year in the J18 Nationell, with six goals and 10 assists in 18 games, during the 2023-24 season. Hopefully he still scores like that in a full year of U20 competition this year, though I doubt he has much of a chance to make a professional team like his clubmate, Gustav Hillstrom.
35. Dylan Wendt (RW/C) — Last Rank: 30 — Age: 24 — 2024-25 Team: Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Dylan Wendt was acquired as an undrafted free agent in April 2024 after doubling his point production and nearly tripling his goal scoring at Western Michigan University. Since then, Wendt has five points in 17 AHL games and 28 points in 43 ECHL games. At 24 years old, he will have to make a quick jump — like the ones he made at Western Michigan, where he went from three to 22 to 44 points over his three seasons there — to have a hope of making the NHL. Still, the fact that he made those kinds of jumps before gives him some hope of rising the ranks.
34. Trenten Bennett (G) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 19 — 2024-25 Teams: Kemptville 73’s (CCHL) & Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Trenten Bennett is certainly a raw goalie, having played most of last season in the Central Canada Hockey League before being picked up by the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. But at 6’8”, he is a rather intriguing one. He had a .912 save percentage in the CCHL before putting up a shutout and a .923 save percentage in six OHL games last season, and he has stated his intention to return to Owen Sound for the 2025-26 season, while he is committed to St. Lawrence University for the year after. A good season in the OHL should have Bennett skyrocketing up the rankings next year.
33. Veeti Louhivaara (G) — Last Rank: 35 — Age: 19 — 2024-25 Team: JYP U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
Veeti Louhivaara hopes to make a jump out of Finnish juniors this season after going 4-11-0 with a .902 save percentage for JYP’s U20 team in the 2024-25 season, up from an .890 save percentage the year prior. Whether this jump will come from a loan to a Mestis (second-tier Finnish professional league) team or by making the JYP club remains to be seen, but Louhivaara is apparently solidly below 19-year old undrafted goalie Otto Hannikainen on their depth chart, though the Finnish veteran Oskari Salminen had a poor season for JYP (.887 SV% in 42 games) after being acquired from SaiPa during the year. Perhaps JYP will roll with their youngest goaltenders, knowing that they have not made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. If Louhivaara makes the club this year, he will be playing with former Devil Sami Vatanen, who returned to Finland after a down year in the Swiss National League. If Louhivaara does not make the team, he should hope for a loan to the Mestis league.
32. Mikael Diotte (D) — Last Rank: 32 — Age: 22 — 2024-25 Teams: Utica Comets (AHL, 5 GP) & Adirondack Thunder (ECHL, 2 GP)
Mikael Diotte, who was signed as an undrafted free agent after a solid final season in the QMJHL (42 points and a +55 rating for the Drummondville Voltigeurs), has been struck by the injury bug with the New Jersey Devils. Diotte had a rough few games for Utica, while he put up two points in two games for the Thunder. So, if it comes to him playing his way out of the ECHL, he probably should not have too much trouble, though staying there would be a problem for his long-term outlook. A 6’3” right-handed defenseman, Diotte has above-average size and will be an intriguing prospect if he can crack Utica’s starting lineup.
31. Gustav Hillstrom (C) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 18 — 2024-25 Teams: Brynäs IF J20 (J20 Nationell, 43 GP) & Brynäs IF (SHL, 18 GP)
Starting his career ranked 31st on our list, Hillstrom is in a good position to make a big jump up the board over the next year. Hillstrom may play part of the season or more in the Swedish Hockey League, as long as he shows an ability to get on the scoresheet. However, Brynäs IF features several former NHLers, including Nicklas Backstrom, who has come back from his NHL career-ending injuries to play with their club. In two games for Brynäs in the Champions Hockey League (an ongoing pre-season tournament), he has only tallied 8:34 of total ice time. A fourth round pick in this year’s draft, Hillstrom will have to show more ability to get to the middle of the ice and to get shots on goal in order to get more ice time in Sweden’s top professional league. His two-way game is not really that in question, but he needs to continue developing a better underlying process so his juniors scoring can translate to higher levels. Devils fans should hope that if Hillstrom does not crack his club’s lineup this year, perhaps he could be loaned to a second tier (HockeyAllsvenskan) team, which would serve him well as a bridge to the SHL’s high level of competition. Coming off 38 points in 43 junior games last season, Hillstrom could use more of a challenge, but playing four minutes a night for Brynäs would not be much help.
30. Daniil Karpovich (D) — Last Rank: 26 — Age: 20 — 2024-25 Team: Gornyak-UGMK (VHL)
After being drafted out of the MHL in 2023, Daniil Karpovich played one year in the top Belarusian league before signing with the Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL, under which he largely played for Gornyak-UGMK of the VHL in the 2024-25 season. In the hills west of Siberia, Karpovich had a solid partial season in the VHL, though I would have liked to see him play more games. So far, Karpovich has a +3 rating through his first VHL game of this season, and I hope it is not too long before Yekaterinburg gives him more of a chance with the KHL club. Like Diotte, Karpovich is a 6’3” defenseman over 200 pounds, though he shoots left-handed and is reputed for his physicality more than his scoring.
29. Kasper Pikkarainen (RW) — Last Rank: 24 — Age: 19 — 2024-25 Teams: Red Deer Rebels (WHL, 1 GP) & TPS U20 (U20 SM-sarja, 2 GP)
Falling out of the Top 25 after an injury-riddled season, Kasper Pikkarainen hopes to re-establish himself as a prospect in the Finnish Liiga with TPS this season. Kasper, son of Ilkka, who played only with the Albany River Rats, Lowell Devils, and New Jersey Devils in North America, was a third-round pick in 2024. Like his father, Kasper is a right-shooting physical winger, standing just a bit taller at 6’3”. He projects as someone who, if he can make the NHL, would add a little bit of edge to the bottom six (he had 39 PIMs in his two Finnish U20 games last season) along with a mindset to get the puck to the middle of the ice, whether he’s shooting from there or setting someone up in the slot.
28. Charlie Leddy (D) — Last Rank: 34 — Age: 21 — 2024-25 Teams: Quinnipiac University (NCAA)
About to be a senior at Quinnipiac, Charlie Leddy has developed into a very steady defensive presence in the NCAA. From his first to second year at Boston College, Leddy reduced his PIMs from 47 to 12, and he has yet to have a negative plus/minus in his three NCAA seasons. In his interview with Sam Kasan at development camp, Leddy attributed his +17 rating to having “blind faith” in his teammates, especially as it relates to getting the puck out of the defensive zone and into the offensive end. Hopefully, Leddy sees a bit of an offensive boost in his final college season, and he should be able to join Utica as a 22-year old after leading Quinnipiac as one of their five NHL-drafted skaters in the 2025-26 season.
27. Josh Filmon (LW) — Last Rank: 14 — Age: 21 — 2024-25 Teams: Adirondack Thunder (ECHL, 65 GP) & Utica Comets (AHL, 12 GP)
Many Devils fans had high hopes for Josh Filmon after he scored 47 goals in the 2022-23 WHL season, which was his D+1 season after being taken by New Jersey in the sixth round in 2022. However, a drop to 27 goals the following season was overlooked, and Filmon actually rose in the rankings from 15 to 14 last year before his poor first full professional season dropped him from the Top 25 this year. In those rankings last year, James wrote,
The drop in goal-scoring should not be a major concern for Devils fans. According to a recent interview with Amanda Stein, Filmon’s focus last season in Swift Current was developing his 200 foot defensive game and even learning to penalty kill. Filmon claims he made big strides applying his offensive skill into a more defensive-structured game later in the season, something his rising PPG totals throughout the year seems to confirm.
It does not seem this altered approach has served Filmon well as a professional. He was unable to crack the scoresheet in 12 AHL games while putting up 20 goals and 16 assists in 65 ECHL games. There is a danger in trying to round out a player’s weaknesses at the risk of weakening the strengths that make them an intriguing prospect, and I think Filmon’s approach may have been missing the forest for the trees. Rather than worry about his defensive game, Swift Current should have worried more about helping him bulk up to help his game translate professionally. At 6’3”, Filmon was bumped up to 170 pounds in his Utica weigh-in after being listed at 161 pounds in the WHL. This, more than his defensive game, is why I worry about his ability to have success at the AHL level, which will be a prerequisite for him being able to survive the NHL, if he hopes to make it here.
26. Xavier Parent (LW/C) — Last Rank: N/A — Age: 24 — 2024-25 Team: Utica Comets (AHL)
Xavier Parent shows that there is hope for those who go through the ECHL — but they have to score there. As an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL, where he largely fell through the cracks during the COVID-19 pandemic before exploding for 51 goals and 106 points in his final juniors year, Parent signed a deal with the Utica Comets in 2022. Parent first largely played with the Adirondack Thunder, where he had 51 points in 50 games before playing a short stint in Utica, where he had six points in 14 appearances that year. Parent has since had two decent seasons with Utica, though he has yet to rise to that point-per-game level that he showed in the QMJHL and ECHL. At just 5’8” and 170 pounds, shooting left-handed, Parent is short but solid, and he will give it to opponents as much as they give it to him. Since signing with Utica in 2022, Parent has 121 PIMs in 146 AHL games and 46 PIMs in 50 ECHL games. This ability to compete in the professional game while largely keeping his scoring ways intact is why the Devils signed him to a one-year ELC back in March, which he is playing on this season. I am all for an underdog story, and it seems like Parent has the scoring knack to make an impression. This year, I hope that he challenges players like Thomas Bordeleau for the right to be first called up to the NHL in case of injury.
The Rankings
As always, here is how everyone ranked the players in this post. The community had 106 valid responses (just a few were unchanged alphabetical “rankings,” which I removed from the count), which meant that I did not count the community for more than their usual one combined vote. Unfortunately, with so many players in the depth realm of the Devils’ prospect system, it does not seem like many people feel comfortable ranking the players compared to past seasons. Once the community got out of the Top 10, rankings began to largely cluster. In numerical terms, the average placement of the community’s 10th-ranked player was 10.132, while the 11th-ranked player averaged 14.623. Sigge Holmgren, the 35th-ranked community skater, still had an average community rank under 30, at 29.585. The ranks were considerably less clustered when averaging the writer and community votes, but you can still see below that four players who barely missed out on a top 25 ranking. Parent just missed out on a Top-25 finish by a difference of 0.4286 in the average.
Of course, there were some ties. Artyom Barabosha and David Rozsival were tied in the average, and they are not the only ones in the full ranking who fell on a tie. Thankfully, I was able to just defer to James and the community for breaking those ties. Everyone also had a few outsiders who they ranked in the Top 25.
- I had two in Charlie Leddy and Xavier Parent.
- James had two in Parent and Daniil Karpovich.
- Jared had three in Trenten Bennett, Karpovich, and Kasper Pikkarainen.
- Jackson had five in Dylan Wendt, Pikkarainen, Jeremy Hanzel, Gustav Hillstrom, and Josh Filmon.
- Tim had two in Veeti Louhivaara and Parent.
- Matt had six in Louhivaara, Parent, Wendt, Leddy, Mikael Diotte and Filmon.
- The community had three in Parent, Tyler Brennan, and Parent.
On that, I thought it was very surprising to see Tyler Brennan ranked so high by the community. I am not sure if the last-ranked player has ever had a Top 25 vote before. But, everyone has their own philosophy on these rankings, and I know that I changed my ballot a fair few times before landing on a list that I thought looked best. Some guys started in the 20s and ended up in the 30s, and vice versa. For example, I was rather intrigued by Mikael Diotte last season when he was signed off as an undrafted free agent off a solid season in the QMJHL, but he barely played for the Comets due to injury. Those situations suck, but they are rather hard to judge, and I defaulted to a drop in ranking.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the outsiders this year? Any surprises? Who did you have here that you voted in the Top 25? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
