College Players Who Could Help the New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are in need of a retooling, if not at least a partial rebuild, after missing out on the Stanley Cup playoff picture for the second time in the last three years.

They’ve always had a penchant for college skaters—small surprise there since longtime President/General Manager Lou Lamoriello is a former Providence College player, coach and administrator.

The current Devils' roster is dotted with NCAA alumni like Ryan Carter (Minnesota State), Mark Fayne (Providence), Stephen Gionta (Boston College), Andy Greene (Miami-Ohio), Peter Harrold (Boston College) and Travis Zajac (North Dakota).

There may be some college-trained players down on the farm in Albany (AHL) and Kalamazoo (ECHL)—and even still in the NCAA—who could possibly make a jump to the NHL and the Devils in the near future, although nothing is guaranteed.

None of them will likely be the second coming of Scott Stevens on defense or Zach Parise up front, but one or more of them might be able to fill a niche in Newark in the next few years.

Here’s a look at some of the possibilities and what they’ve been up to.

Jon Merrill

After a bang-up freshman season at the University of Michigan where he recorded a career-high seven goals and 25 points, Jon Merrill missed more than a few games the past two years due to suspension and injury.

He still helped the Wolverines to within a game of this year’s NCAA tournament before turning pro, and in three seasons in Ann Arbor, rang up 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points.

Merrilll, 20, was drafted by New Jersey in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In his first 12 games with Albany (AHL) this year, he notched a goal and seven assists.

Of all the Devils current defensive prospects, the 6'3", 209-pound Brighton, Mich., native will probably get a long look next season, especially on a team that may be losing a defenseman or two in the summer and will need to shore up its blue line.

Keith Kinkaid

Keith Kinkaid, who played two years at Union College, got a taste of the big time when he relieved Johan Hedberg on March 5 at the Prudential Center and allowed just one goal in 26 minutes against Tampa Bay.

The Farmingdale, N.Y., native who signed as a free agent in 2011, went 21-17-6 with Albany in his  45 appearances this season and  fashioned a 2.72 goals-against average with a .905 save percentage. He has posted 37 wins and five shutouts with Albany and has NHL size between the pipes at 6'3", 190 pounds.

On the depth chart, Kinkaid has probably surpassed former University of Minnesota netminder Jeff Frazee, who also made his NHL debut with the Devils this year in mop-up duty. The question is: Will Kinkaid get a fair shot in Newark next year with the combined 81-year-old combination of Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg still around?

David Wohlberg

David Wohlberg, 22, was taken in the sixth round by New Jersey in 2008 and played four years at the University of Michigan, where he assimilated 56 goals and 111 points at forward.

He suffered a broken collarbone as a junior as the Wolverines came within an overtime goal of the 2011 NCAA crown, but rebounded to post a career-high 33 points in 2011-12.

After playing in six games with Albany last season after finishing up at Michigan, the center from South Lyon, Mich., had four goals and nine points in 36 AHL contests this season.

Wohlberg is not huge at 6'1" and 192 pounds, but he has speed and tenacity and could one day be a Jay Pandolfo-type of player for the big club if he continues to develop.

Joe Whitney

Joe Whitney helped Boston College to national titles in both 2008 and 2010.

A former free agent, he led Albany in scoring this season with 26 goals and 25 assists for 51 points in 66 games after collecting 44 points in 72 games with the baby Devils a year ago.

Though undersized at 5'7", 165 pounds, the 24-year-old center and native of Reading, Mass., knows how to generate offense with 30 or more points three times in his career at BC.

The pros are a different animal of course, but small, former BC players have had some success in New Jersey before, particularly Brian and Stephen Gionta. Whitney might at least get a close look come the fall.

Blake Coleman

A third-round choice of the Devils in 2011 as their first selection after choosing Adam Larsson that same year, Blake Coleman tallied 12-11—23 points in 39 games this past season as a forward with Miami (Ohio).

He also helped the Redhawks to the final Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season championship, plus a berth in the NCAA tournament where they fell to St. Cloud State.

A 5'11", 202-pound native of Plano, Texas, Coleman was the 2011 Player of the Year in the United States Hockey League after accumulating 34-58—92 points in 59 Junior "A" games with the Indiana Ice that season.

He's probably a few seasons away from fighting for a lineup spot with the Devils, and will hope to avoid a sophomore slump in 2013-14 as Miami transitions to the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

Blake Pietila

Blake Pietila, the 5'11", 190-pound forward from Brighton, Mich., has been part of an improving Michigan Tech University program. He has tallied 24 points in each of his first two NCAA seasons with the Huskies, including 24 goals.

Pietila, 20, skated with the U.S. National Team Development Program prior to enrolling at MTU and was drafted by New Jersey in the fifth round in 2011.

He was also a member of the gold medal-winning American team at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, where he notched two assists in seven games.

Matt Anderson

Matt Anderson, a wing from  West Islip, N.Y., who played collegiately at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, was Albany’s second top scorer in 2012-13 with 13 goals and 43 points in 67 games.

Two years ago, he notched 23 goals in a full season with the AHL Devils.

A former free agent, the 5'11", 195-pound forward also made his NHL debut this year with the parent Devils, tallying one assist in two games. Working against him is his age, as he'll be 31 on Halloween.

Mike Hoeffel

Mike Hoeffel was taken by the Devils in the second round in 2007 after he registered 48 goals and 87 points in four years at the University of Minnesota

The left wing has spent the last three seasons in Albany where he has only tallied 10 goals over the past two years. He has some size at 6'4" and 205 pounds, which New Jersey could use up front.

Hoeffel's also just 24 years old, but the clock has started ticking for the native of North Oaks, Minn.

Steve Zalewski

A Clarkson University product, Steve Zalewski saw action with the parent Devils last season when he played in seven NHL contests.

He's gone scoreless in 10 career NHL games so far, including three with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2004.

Zalewski, 26, has fashioned back-to-back 40-point campaigns in Albany the last two years. He's also collected a total of 100 penalty minutes in that span and was Albany's third-leading scorer this season.

A six-foot, 190-pound center from Utica, N.Y., he scored 58 goals in college with Clarkson over four winters and posted 108 points and 188 penalty minutes with the Golden Knights.

His clock is also ticking and his best/last shot with the Devils may come at training camp.

Mike Sislo

A four-year skater at the University of New Hampshire, the 25-year-old Mike Sislo scored 15 or more goals with the Wildcats three times in his NCAA career with a 48-point campaign as a senior in 2010-11.

The 5'11", 190-pound right wing from Superior, Wisc., has played the past two years in Albany after signing as a free agent. He notched 27 points last season and has 26 points so far this year while totaling 22 goals and 66 penalty minutes over two AHL campaigns.

Philip DeSimone

Philip DeSimone, 26, turned pro this year after also skating for New Hampshire, where he was a teammate of Mike Sislo, and tallied a total of 109 points in four years.

The 5'1", 193-pound center from East Amherst, N.Y., was originally drafted in the third round in 2007 by the Washington Capitals. He skated in Montreal's system for one season, tallying 14 goals and 33 points with Hamilton (AHL) in 2011-12 before joining the Devils organization.

DeSimone played three games with Trenton (ECHL) this season before graduating to Albany where he had nine goals and 19 points in his first 44 AHL outings with the Devils.

Bryan Haczyk

A true Jersey Devil, Bryan Haczyk was born in Secaucus, grew up in Nutley and won a state title with Seton Hall Prep before eventually playing four years at NCAA Division I Niagara University.

His 28 goals and 45 points as a senior with the Purple Eagles in 2010-11 ranked him among the national leaders.

The 5'9", 175-pound winger was signed as a free agent by the Devils in 2011. He can skate and shoot, but must make a more-permanent jump to the AHL level before he can really set his sights on possibly playing in Newark.

In his first 116 career ECHL games with Trenton and Kalamazoo, Haczyk (pronounced HA-chek) tallied 32 goals and 56 points. He's a long shot at best for the NHL, but stranger things have happened.