thefiestygoat

They had a job listing for a Devils prospect writer on there so Jared leaving's a pretty safe bet 

Yeah, I asked him on twitter about it and he mentioned he enjoyed his time there but wanted to move on. He's still going to be following the prospects and Devils, just not writing about them. If anyone wants they can follow him on twitter: @CalDevil3219

I have to say I am really impressed with the way this team has found a way to win so far this year. Through all the injuries they've managed to go 9-6 in their series so far and are in 1st in the division. I know it's early and a small sample size but I didn't give them a shot so I'm happy with how things have unfolded thus far.

So far the scrap heap vets have really done a fantastic job: Wells (126 wRC+ w/ decent D), Overbay (98 wRC+ w/ decent D), and Hafner (148 wRC+). I wasn't thrilled about the Wells trade and barely warmed up to it even when I found it it wouldn't hurt the luxury tax next year but he's proving me wrong. I thought Overbay was done - and he might very well be by the end of the year (wherever he is playing) - but he's been excellent w/ Tex and Youkilis out. I always liked the move to get Pronk and it's great to see what he can do when he's healthy. Coming into last night these 3 guys accounted for a 2.9 WAR and all are in the top 6 for the Yankees position players.

It's been great to see what the young pitchers have been doing for the Yankees too. David Phelps has passed Nova in my opinion on the depth chart with his (42.1 IP, 9.78 K/9, 3.83 BB/9, 49.5 GB%, 3.65 FIP). Adam Warren is starting to settle into the long relief role (23.2 IP, 6.46 K/9, 2.28 BB/9, 57.1 GB%, 2.91 FIP in limited action). I didn't think much of Shawn Kelley when they acquired him but he's been pitching better as of late and has a 15.91 K/9 vs. 2.41 BB/9 in 18.2 IP. I really expected Mark Montgomery to be the 1st reliever called up from AAA but Preston Claiborne was the surprise and he's been stellar in his young career (11 IP, 6.55 K/9, 0 BB, 2.76 FIP). I know a lot of those numbers are small sample sizes but what I'm getting at is its been nice to watch a bunch of guys who weren't expected to step up, do so in this short season so far.

Of course things could go south for any of the players in this post - infact, I'm sure it will for a number of them. Hopefully by then the big guys will return and be able to compensate. I didn't think this team had a chance at the postseason before the year - now I have hope.

I noticed Jared didn't write this or the last Devils article for HF. I suppose he's moved on.

I'm a huge believer in Wedgewood but no way would I rank him #2. I'd move Matteau up because of what he's already shown and how likely he is to be able to contribute for NJ in coming years even if his potential is 2nd/3rd line. Probably move Clermont in 19/20 territory.

Watched Knights/Sask. blades earlier today. Zadarov looked really good, a leader as well, so did Horvat!
Domi is quick a great stick handler.
Ever wonder if Conte is looking further down the list of players and see a "pearl" of the oyster?? like
Robert Hagg or Wennberg? or Lazar?

Also, without having to peruse this entire thread, can anyone tell me the rounds devils will draft in?thx

The Devils have the following picks by round: 1 (9th overall), 2 (39th overall), 4 (100th overall), and 6 (160th overall). Below are my random thoughts on the game.

This was my first time getting to watch London. Out of the 3 big London prospects, I was most impressed by C Bo Horvat and saw why he's been climbing up the rankings. Kid turned 18 in April, is already 6'0, 203, and has continued his breakout season and playoffs into the Memorial Cup. Skates well and seems to have a great understanding of the game in all 3 zones. Had a really nice steal to set up the 2nd London goal. Seems to have the makings of a solid 2 way center.

D Nikita Zadorov seemed to get better as the game went on after being on for an early goal against. He clearly towers over everyone at 6'5, 228 and he just turned 18 a month ago. I was impressed by how mobile he is for a big guy. Even was cutting towards the front of the net and creeping down low which helped him pick up his PPG.

LW Max Domi was solid but I can't see him being a top 10 pick. I will say his skating and vision was very impressive. Defintely seems more like a playmaker than a scorer and I'm not sure how confident I'd be in him scoring down the road in the NHL. More like a mid 1st round pick to me in this draft class. He's generously listed at 5'10, 194 but I'd be shocked if that was true - though he is built like a tank. With the way he threw his body around out there, he seems like all muscle. Check out this huge shoulder to shoulder hit he had:

This is for Fiesty I guess, since he has his finger on the pulse of the prospects/minor league guys: how is this kid Hrabarenka? I didn't realize he was only 20, I thought he was much older and was one of those career-AHL type dudes. Does he have any kind of future with the big club? Or is he a guy we could use as part of a package for a forward or something? I haven't really heard much about him at all. With how deep the organization is on D, this kid kind of got lost in the shuffle for me.

To be honest I didn't follow the Albany prospects as much as I would have liked to this year. If the AHL ever gets a quality online broadcast going, like the NBA D-League or Minor League Baseball, I'd invest in it. He has good size 6'3, 212 and is a right handed shot and will turn 21 in late August so he still has a lot of time to develop. Only played in 34 games in Albany this year but I know he had some sort of injury and of course the lockout didn't help the roster crunch. Judging by his numbers he doesn't seem to have much of an offensive game. I hate to cite +/- but he did manage to be a +1 on a bad team so perhaps he is decent defensively. Hopefully someone else here has seen him and can give better insight into him.

Not sure if he will ever make it up to the big club given the amount of depth they have in the organization. I'd say he's behind Urbom, Merrill, and Gelinas on the chart and in the pack with Burlon and Scarlett heading into next year. I suppose he could develop into a somewhat useful trade piece down the road but he probably has little value at the moment.