Latest Updates on the New Jersey Devils' Top Prospects

Though the New Jersey Devils have struggled this year, there is some good news from within the organization. Many of the club's prospects have made a name for themselves this year.

Some of these prospects have forced their way into New Jersey's starting lineup, while others earned a place on a World Juniors team.

Of course, there have been some young players who have failed to live up to expectations as well, such as Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau.

But on the whole, this list will focus on the positive steps made by young players such as Damon Severson and Keith Kinkaid, who have shown that the Devils do have players who can help turn the organization around both this year and in coming years.

Miles Wood Heading to World Junior Championship, Steve Santini Misses out

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Players for the United States during last year's World Junior Championship.

Nineteen-year-old winger Miles Wood is in Canada for the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, and he served as the fourth-line left winger in the United States' opening game against Finland.

The Devils' fourth-round pick from the 2013 NHL entry draft currently plays his high school hockey at the Noble and Greenough School in Massachusetts. 

Steve Santini, the Devils' second-round pick from the 2013 draft, was the last cut from Team USA, as his wrist injury had not healed fast enough for him to make the squad.

Santini, a 19-year-old defenseman from Boston College, would likely have been a key contributor during the WJC, as last year he was named the best defenseman at the IIHF World U18 Championship. He will likely return to the 15th-ranked Boston College Eagles in the coming weeks.

Older Forwards Have Led the Albany Devils

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Mike Sislo pursues the puck in a New Jersey Devils game.

The top three point-getters on the Albany Devils, New Jersey's AHL affiliate, are 25 or older.

Of course, this would not make them old on an NHL team. But once a player hits 25 and still finds himself in the AHL, there are questions about whether that player will ever become a regular NHL player.

This is where Joe Whitney, Paul Thompson and Scott Timmins find themselves.

Whitney, 26, leads Albany in points with 23 (10 goals and 13 assists). The left winger played one game with New Jersey last season, logging eight minutes of ice time and without picking up any points.

Thompson, also 26, leads Albany in goals with 13 and also has nine assists. He is a right winger who leads the team in plus/minus with a plus-11 rating. 

Timmins, 25, has six goals and 13 assists in 23 games. 

Whitney and Timmins are on two-way contracts and are eligible to be called up to New Jersey. Thompson's contract, on the other hand, does not allow him to be called up to New Jersey.

Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau Have Had Only Modest Success in Albany

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Reid Boucher waits for a faceoff.

In a season during which the Devils have suffered injury after injury at the forward position, opportunities for top prospects Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau to make the jump to the NHL have been present.

Unfortunately, both players have only been lukewarm, even at the AHL level. 

Boucher, who once notched 62 goals and 33 assists in 68 games in the OHL, has seven goals (four of which have come on the power play) and seven assists in 24 games with Albany this season. In four games with New Jersey, he has no points.

His minus-three rating and three even-strength goals are unsettling coming from a player with such high potential, but there is some hope that he is turning it around. Boucher has four goals and two assists over his last six games.

Matteau is not the high-flying goal scorer that Boucher is, but he has the potential to be an NHL-caliber power forward. 

His numbers are as disappointing as Boucher's, though. He has one goal and eight assists in 24 games with Albany. Matteau is only 20 and in his second season with Albany, but the Devils will surely be hoping for more from the young winger.

Keith Kinkaid Has Made a Name for Himself While Scott Wedgewood Has Struggled

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Keith Kinkaid prepares to make a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Twenty-five-year-old Keith Kinkaid started the season in the AHL after battling veteran Scott Clemmensen for the backup position in New Jersey during the preseason. 

Kinkaid was rewarded for his solid play in the AHL, where he has a 2.19 goals-against average and .923 save percentage, with a chance to play with the big club a few weeks into the season.

He excelled in limited opportunities.

Kinkaid played 240 minutes and put up a 1.75 GAA and .939 save percentage, having faced three tremendously talented teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders. He came away with 1-1-2 record.

On the other hand, Scott Wedgewood, the other goalie with the Albany Devils, has struggled. Over 598 minutes, he has a 3.31 GAA and .879 save percentage, both significantly lower than Kinkaid's and Clemmensen's numbers in the AHL. His record is 4-5-1. 

Multiple Young Defensemen Began the Year as Prospects but Are Now NHL Regulars

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Damon Severson celebrates a goal with Michael Cammalleri.

If the rest of the Devils' season goes the same as the first 36 games have, there will not be many positives to take from the year.

But the biggest plus will probably be the play of the team's corps of young defensemen. 

Coming into the preseason, few would have considered Damon Severson as anything more than a prospect. But after a great preseason, the 20-year-old earned not only a place in the Devils' everyday lineup but also a place alongside Andy Greene in the team's top defense pairing. 

Severson will miss the next month or so with a fractured left ankle, but through 32 games, he had four goals and eight assists with a minus-four rating, despite facing top opponents every night.

Adam Larsson entered the season as a combination of prospect and possible NHL starter, but he has clearly shown he is firmly in the latter category. 

Though previously thought of as an offensive defenseman, Larsson has turned himself into a blossoming defensive blueliner. The 22-year-old Swede has played in 18 games this season, a number that would be higher if not for having contracted the mumps. 

According to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, 43.6 percent of the faceoffs Larsson has been on the ice for have been in the defensive zone, the highest of any player on the team. Yet he is only a minus-three, despite being asked to face difficult defensive situations.

There have been positive signs from 23-year-old Eric Gelinas and 24-year-old Seth Helgeson as well. 

Gelinas has four goals and six assists in 29 games, a solid output for a defender. His defensive play still needs work, but if he can become just average in his own zone, Gelinas' offensive ability will make him a huge asset.

Helgeson is not a flashy player like Gelinas or Severson, but he has been a useful contributor while the team has had to deal with injuries. He has played in 17 games and has a plus-two rating.

Even if this season turns out to be a bust, these four defensemen may look back on this season as the year they announced themselves as NHL-caliber players.

If the Devils can keep all four around, they will have a solid defense corps for years to come.