NEWARK -- A future teammate took notice of Nico Hischier as the baby-faced Swiss dominated the IIHF World Junior Championship last winter in a tournament loaded with NHL talent.

"I thought he was exceptional then, and exceptional now," prospect Blake Speers said of the Devils' No. 1 pick at Tuesday's portion of Development Camp.

The two faced off against one another during an exhibition game -- Hischier scored two goals as Switzerland nearly upset Canada in a 4-3 loss. He also led all 2017 draft eligible players with four goals and seven points in five games.

While Hischier and Speers now don the same red and black Devils uniforms, the battles haven't stopped as they and 28 other prospects took part in a series of one-on-one drills during the early stages of Development Camp.

"A little nervous for sure but the excitement was there," Hischier said. "I was really happy and pumped to finally be on the ice and have fun out there."

The 18-year-old hasn't had a lot of on-ice training since being taken first overall on June 23.

Following the draft in Chicago, he flew straight to Newark for a tour of the metropolitan area, which included stops at a Yankees and Red Bulls game.

He then returned to Switzerland as friends, family and fans congratulated him on being the country's first top NHL draft pick.

Though Hischier was hunched over at times catching his breath during Tuesday's drills, his skating caught the eye of forward Miles Wood.

"First thing that I saw was his speed," said Wood, who spent the majority of last season with the big club. "And that's always a plus because at this stage in your life, you either have speed or you don't."

While this week will give the Devils management a glimpse into where their prospects are at in terms of their development, it also presents younger players like Hischier the chance to get acclimated to an NHL environment.

Hischier, who is expected to crack the opening night roster in October, is learning that first hand while he rooms with defenseman Steve Santini.

"You've got to ask those guys how it is and learn from them," Hischier said of Santini and Pavel Zacha.

As to what Hischier thought about the prospect pool as a whole: "Those guys are pretty skilled and that what the Devils want -- they want a fast team, a skilled team. I liked it."

Mark Fischer may be reached at mfischer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @nhlfisch21. Find NJ.com on Facebook.