Since 1993, the New Jersey Devils always had a solid future in net. Martin Brodeur took control of the crease in 1993, and held that position until 2014, where he split time with Cory Schneider. Schneider would come to the Devils via trade in 2013, and ended up being one of Lou’s last great moves as the Devils GM. Schneider is currently on year 2 of a 7 year extension signed in 2014. He should man the Devils crease for the next 5 years, but, we can’t predict the future. So let’s take a look at what goalies are in the pipeline.
Scott Wedgewood
Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Wedgewood has had an interesting career. The 24-year-old netminder never had a stellar regular season during his time in the Ontario Hockey League. He spent 4 years with the now-defunct Plymouth Whalers, getting the starting role during his draft +1 year. As a true starter, Wedgewood had a stat line of 98 games/.910 SV%/5 shutouts. His playoff line was a different story. In 23 playoff games as a starter, he posted a very solid .926 SV%. Wedgewood also represented Canada at the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship.
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The jump to pro hockey was rough. He would spend most of his first pro season in the ECHL with the Trenton Titans. In 48 games played, he posted a .900 SV%/3.22 GAA with one shutout. I don’t put as much stock in GAA, but still. He spent the next two years in Albany, where he would put up a .901 SV% and 6 shutouts over 72 games.
Scott would finally have his “breakout” year last season, which he spent mostly in Albany. In 22 games played, Wedgewood had a .933 SV%/1.55 GAA over and 2 shutouts, which would earn him a 4 game NHL call-up. Wedgewood played stellar in those 4 games, posting a .957 SV%/1.24 GAA, while also earning a 38 save shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Wedgewood would battle Keith Kinkaid for the backup spot during camp this year. Wedgwood lost out, starting the year in Albany. Unfortunately, Wedgewood would only get 10 games, as he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and 6 months of rehab time. Wedgewood is an interesting case. I doubt he becomes a legitimate NHL starter, and his injury hampers things, but he could end up being a solid backup for Cory.
Ken Appleby
Appleby had an outstanding junior career with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Appleby really stood out in the 2014-15 season. His regular season numbers were great, leading the OHL with a .924 SV%/2.04 GAA/6 shutouts. The playoffs are where he would really stand out. Appleby helped Oshawa win the OHL Championship, putting up a .922 SV%/2.24 GAA in 21 playoff games.
Appleby would also help Oshawa win the Memorial Cup, posting a .915 SV%/2.08 GAA in the tournament, which earned him the CHL Memorial Cup Most Outstanding Goaltender award. Appleby’s impressive junior numbers would earn him a training camp invite as an amateur tryout. Shero would sign him to an ELC out of camp, which started Appleby’s pro career.
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Appleby spent the majority of the 2015-16 season in the ECHL with the Adirondack Thunder, where he posted great numbers, a .924 SV%/2.24 GAA/3 shutouts in 29 games, for a 20-year-old. He also played in 12 playoff games, where his numbers continued to impress (.920 SV%/2.31 GAA). Ken had a cup of coffee with Albany as well, where he would play 8 games. Appleby’s play has been extremely encouraging this year, leading Albany in Wedgewood’s absence with a .920 SV%/2.05 GAA. Appleby is one of the more intriguing prospects in the New Jersey Devils system and has been a stellar pickup by Shero. His progression has been promising, and he could end up being the Devils backup of the future.
Appleby’s play has been extremely encouraging this year, leading Albany in Wedgewood’s absence with a .920 SV%/2.05 GAA. Appleby is one of the more intriguing prospects in the New Jersey Devils system and has been a stellar pickup by Shero. His progression has been promising, and he could end up being the Devils backup of the future.
MacKenzie Blackwood
Blackwood was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, where he was the top-ranked North American goalie. Shero faced some scrutiny for this pick, as there were some very solid skaters on the board still (Sprong, Forsbacka-Karlsson, and Bracco to name a few). I wasn’t super excited with the pick, mostly because I think you can get a good goalie in the later rounds, but it’s too early to tell on Blackwood.
He put up great numbers in the OHL, playing in 139 regular season games. His 2015-16 season was easily his best, with a stat line of 43 games/.921 SV%/2.72 GAA/3 shutouts. He represented Canada at the U20 World Junior Championship, where he was less than stellar, with a .859 SV%/3.95 GAA over 3 games. He was coming off of an 8 game suspension for slashing, so it could’ve been rust. Blackwood has 32 OHL playoff games under his belt, where he posted a respectable .914 SV% over that span. His play that year would earn him the OHL Goaltender of the Year award.
Blackwood’s pro career hasn’t started off on the best foot. He has started 18 games for Albany, where he has a .890 SV%/3.07 GAA. Now, Blackwood is only 20 years old. Playing in Albany as a 20-year-old is impressive, and he’s going to continue to grow mentally and physically. Blackwood was the top-ranked North American goalie in 2015 for a reason, so I hope no one is writing him off just yet. If all goes well, Blackwood will be the New Jersey Devils starter of the future.
Evan Cormier
The latest Devils goalie pick, Cormier’s numbers won’t jump off the page. the 2016 4th round pick has already played in 125 OHL games, splitting time with the North Bay Battalion and Saginaw Spirit. His highest SV% (minus his 3 games in 2013-14) is this year with a .897 SV%.
While his numbers aren’t eye-popping, Saginaw hasn’t been a great team during his tenure. They’ve had losing seasons the past 2 years, and are on their way to a third now. He has faced 3,572 shots as Saginaw’s goalie, which is nuts. Not making excuses for him, but he’s facing an insane amount of rubber each night. He’s a long term project, and I don’t think we’ll see him in the AHL/ECHL anytime soon.
The Future
The New Jersey Devils have 7 picks in the upcoming draft and could get more depending on what they do at the trade deadline. I wouldn’t be opposed at using one of those picks on another goalie. Goalie development is tricky, so it’s hard to say what these 4 prospects will become. Having another goalie in the mix wouldn’t be a bad idea. Schneider is the team’s starting goalie for now, but it doesn’t hurt to think about the future, especially in net.
