New Jersey had an unexpectedly strong first half of the season, and while teams like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia struggled to keep up with them, the Devils enjoyed their surprising success. Why were they so successful early in the season? Well, first and foremost, Cory Schneider gave the Devils a chance to win no matter who they were playing against. He is arguably one of the best goaltenders in the league, and he has had one of the best seasons of his career. The Devils also found exceptional return from adding Kyle Palmieri and Lee Stempniak to the roster, who were both acquired by the team over the summer. Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac both played some fantastic hockey during the first half of the season, and Mike Cammalleri lead the team’s offense with an impressive 38 points in his first 42 games. Despite his age, he was among the league’s leaders in scoring. The team seemed poised to make the playoffs, but things slowly began to fall apart.

In late January, Mike Cammalleri went down with a hand injury, and it was recently reported that he will not play for the rest of the season. He had carried the team’s offense, and since losing Cammalleri, the Devils have won just 11 of their past 26 games. Once Cammalleri went down, and Pittsburgh and Philidelphia began to gain some ground on New Jersey, the Devils traded away Lee Stempniak at the trade deadline. Though losing Stempniak would likely oust the Devils’ chances of making the playoffs, it gave the team the opportunity not only to gain a draft pick, but also the opportunity to grant some eager young Devils more ice time. Though the team isn’t playing exceptional hockey, their young players are gaining valuable experience, and these young players are beginning to prove that they will play an essential role in the rebuild of this New Jersey team.

Joseph Blandisi, LW, Age 21, 38GP, 5G, 12A

Through his first 38 games of NHL hockey, Blandisi surely has gained a reputation. After earning an embarrassing embellishment penalty against Philidelphia during one of his first games, Blandisi was penalized again for embellishment just a few games later against the Rangers. He subsequently was fined by the league, and since then he has been more careful when attempting to draw penalties. Despite his reputation, Blandisi is a really unique hockey player. At 6’0, 200 pounds, he isn’t the biggest guy on the ice, but he is fearless. Blandisi is scrappy, persistent, and incredibly talented. He is an absolute pest to play against. His energy and emotion on the ice are explosive, but occasionally he gets a little carried away, and takes bad penalties. Above all else, Blandisi is an excellent young hockey player brimming with potential, and not many people know that. During his final season of OHL hockey, Blandisi posted 112 points in 68 games, and was the recipient of the OHL Overage Player of the Year Award. After starting the 2015-16 season in the AHL, Blandisi was called up to fill in for Mike Cammalleri, and has since then adjusted very well to the pace of the NHL. He’s scoring at an impressive rate for a rookie, and his rambunctious style of play has translated well to the NHL. Blandisi has the potential to develop into a gritty, top tier winger in the NHL, and he could be scoring at a rate of 40 points a season as early as next year.

Reid Boucher, LW, Age 22, 34GP, 7G, 10A

Boucher has been up and down between the AHL and NHL for a few seasons now, and this season it seems like he has finally secured a roster spot on the Devils. Boucher has the potential to be a top-tier goal scorer in NHL. His wrist shot is quick, hard, and accurate. He has decent hands, and his passing ability is underrated, as people tend to highlight his incredible wrist shot. He’s been putting up impressive numbers in the AHL for a few seasons now, but he previously struggled to translate his offensive success to the NHL. Now he’s playing top winger minutes, and he doesn’t look as slow and out of place as he used to at the NHL level. Boucher has immense offensive potential, and his numbers from his time playing in the OHL prove it. During his final season of OHL hockey, Boucher set a franchise record of 62 goals for the Sarnia Sting. The previous record holder, Steven Stamkos, had netted 58 goals for Sarnia just four years before Boucher broke the record. Sure, Boucher is no Stamkos, but that fact that he scored 62 goals in a single season of junior hockey indicates that Boucher has a natural talent for scoring goals. Boucher will doubtfully ever score 60 goals in a single season. In fact, he might never even score 30 goals in a single season. The point is, he is playing great hockey right now, and is beginning to live up to the hype that followed his 62 goal season in Sarnia.

Damon Severson, D, Age 21, 66GP, 1G, 19A

Last season, Severson surprised fans by securing a spot on the Devils’ roster at the age of just 19. In fact, for a few games last season, Severson played on the Devils’ top defensive pairing, and looked very comfortable and mature for a player of his age. Since then, Severson has had some hiccups in his development, but he has steadily improved his all-around play. A product of the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, Severson put up some impressive numbers during his time in the WHL, recording a career high 61 points in his final season with Kelowna. Offensively, Severson has tons of potential. He has a hard shot from the point, and excels at shooting the puck through opposing defenders, and on net. With his skating and passing ability, Severson is capable of quarterbacking the power play. He can make long outlet passes, and can even skate the puck out of the defensive zone himself, but he occasionally turns the puck over. Defensively, Severson has some decent size, and is a somewhat physical player who can muscle players off the puck. Above all else, Severson is capable of logging big minutes, and playing a strong two-way game. He has yet to reach his full potential offensively, but when he does, he will be a very difficult player to play against.

Scott Wedgewood, G, Age 23, 4GP, 2W, 1.24 GAA, .957 SV%

Due to an injury Cory Schneider sustained in the beginning of March, Scott Wedgewood has gotten the opportunity to play in four games. Unfortunately for Devils backup goalie Keith Kinkaid, Wedgewood has suddenly emerged as a player who very well might steal Kinkaid’s job of backing up Cory Schneider. A third round pick in 2010, Wedgewood had a very successful career in the OHL, and appeared to be a promising goaltending prospect. However, once Wedgewood started playing professional hockey in the ECHL and AHL, his play began to falter, and he ultimately lost the attention of fans. Now that he’s been given a shot at playing in the NHL, he has been able to showcase his athleticism and natural goaltending ability. He has always had potential, and this season he has played very well in both the AHL and in the NHL. At the age of just 23, it is incredibly impressive that Wedgewood has played so well in his first four contests, and he could end up developing into the Devils’ goalie of the future. Goalies typically don’t become starters until they are in their late twenties, so by the time Wedgewood reaches his full potential, Cory Schneider might be older, and on his way out of New Jersey. Only time will tell what kind of role Wedgewood will play in New Jersey for the next few seasons, but right now, it looks like he could serve as an excellent backup to Cory Schneider if he can manage to outplay Keith Kinkaid.