2008 NHL Season Preview: New Jersey Devils Have High Hopes for Young Talent

The New Jersey Devils are happy with their crop of youngsters going into the 2008 season. Going into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft they knew they had to address the lack of depth at center, so they selected 4 centermen at the draft. The Devils like the size and skill of their defensemen and wingers and have some players who could step into an NHL role this coming season.

One of those players could be center Petr Vrana. Vrana can play on both ends of the ice, providing scoring, but also being responsible in his defensive zone. The 2003 prospect was selected 42^nd overall and spent last season with Lowell of the American Hockey League. He posted 20 goals and 61 points there, and could fill the roster spot that departed Sergei Brylin left behind.

Much like Devil John Madden, Patrice Cormier is a big, strong, and physical center. Cormier has a bit more skill than Madden, but with the offensive punch to back up his physical play. He is projected to be a third or fourth line center for the Devils and likes to play in traffic and in front of the net. At 6-foot-2 201 pounds, Cormier led the Rimouski Oceanic in scoring in the playoffs with 4 goals and nine points in just nine games. He also tallied 18 goals and 41 points in just 51 games because of missing time due to minor injuries. Cormier is one of those players how is hard to play against. It is hard to knock him off the puck and his board work is excellent.

On the wing, the Devils have Russian Alexander Vasyunov. The Devils have high hopes for the 5-foot-11 189 pound winger who could be one of the best players available to the Devils in the near future. Vasyunov plays for his home town, and problems have arisen as to whether he is ready to make the move overseas to the NHL. Ultimately it will be up to Vasyunov as the Devils are definitely ready for him to step into an NHL role. Vasyunov played only 39 games in the last two seasons with his home team of Yaroslavl of the Russian Super League. Taken 58^th overall in the 2006 Draft, Vasyunov posted only 4 goals in 22 games with the Russian Super League last season and an injury kept him out of the 2008 World Junior Championships. The Devils are hoping that Vasyunov thinks long and hard about making the jump to the NHL, they would like to have him sooner rather than later.

On defense, the Devils are very happy with the development of their first round pick in 2006 Matt Corrente. Corrente was selected 30^th overall and will someday play against some of the best forwards in the world. The 5-foot-11 189 pounder had 15 points and 64 penalty minutes for the Ontario Hockey Leagues Niagara Ice Dogs last season. He was limited to just 21 games due to injury but returned in the playoffs and posted 5 assists in 5 games. Corrente is making strides every day to crack the roster of the Devils, but with their depth on defense, Corrente will likely have to wait. Once he does though, look for him to be a solid defensemen for the Devils for a long time.

No one is going to question Martin Brodeur's role as the number one goaltender in New Jersey. The future Hall of Famer seems just as good now as he has ever been which can be discouraging for any young netminder trying to make the team. Jeff Frazee is the goalie who is trying to do just that. The Devils have not had much luck with goaltending prospects because of the dominance that Brodeur holds on the number one spot. Frazee is coming off a disappointing season at the University of Minnesota where he went 6-7-1 and lost the starting spot. Frazee decided to sign with the Devils at the end of the season and will begin his pro career in the fall.