gold star for USAHOF

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023-24 revision of our top 50 New Jersey Devils.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Devils regressed and failed to make the postseason, but there were three elevations from this young core of players.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Martin Brodeur
2. Scott Stevens
3. Scott Niedermayer
4. Patrik Elias
5. Ken Daneyko

You can find the entire list here.

Center Nico Hischier climbed to #24 from #31.

Jesper Bratt is right behind Hischier.  The Wing moved to #25 from #38.

The third elevation is Jack Hughes, now at #33 from #39.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 New Jersey Devils.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, New Jersey turned the corner and made the playoffs for the first time in years.  This resulted in two new entrants, and other minor fluctuation on the top 50.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Martin Brodeur

2. Scott Stevens

3. Scott Niedermayer

4. Patrik Elias

5. Ken Daneyko

You can find the entire list here.

Center, Nico Hischier, jetted up to #31 from #50.

Left Wing, Jesper Bratt, makes his first appearance at #38.

American Center, Jack Hughes, is the second debut, entering at #39.

Defenseman, Damon Severson, went up two spots to #34.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Jack Hughes was meant to be a star.

Taken first overall by New Jersey in 2019, Hughes had already broken Clayton Keller’s all-time Points record in the United States Developmental Program, and nearly broke Auston Matthews’s record for Points in a single campaign.  Hughes was no just the best junior in the U.S.; he was the best in the world.

Hughes made the Devils immediately, scoring 21 and 31 Points in his first two years.  He was not an immediate star, but New Jersey were not concerned as the talent was there.  After that, Hughes battled injury, but scored 56 Points in 49 Games, made the All-Star Game and showed the Devils fans what was to come, which was a 99 Point year, where he was second in Lady Byng voting and was eighth for the Hart.  He also added a second All-Star Game to his ledger.  Last season, the superstar dropped to 74 Points, but he enters this year not only as New Jersey’s top player, but a potential All-NHL player.

Jesper Brett was a steal for the New Jersey Devils, who only had to use a Sixth Round pick in 2016 to grab the Swedish Wing.  He signed with New Jersey a year later and was expected to join the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, but was so impressive in Devils training camp that he made the roster and shockingly was an NHL player as a teenager despite being drafted so low.

Bratt scored a respectable 35 Points as a rookie, but his progression stalled in the three seasons after as his production stayed at the same level over the next three seasons.  He broke out in 2021/22 with a 73-Point campaign, which he duplicated the year after, albeit with a higher Goal tally (32).  Last season, he broke the 80-Point mark for the first time, was New Jersey's leading scorer, and went to his first All-Star Game.

Bratt is a future Point-per-Game player and All-Star and could be a top ten all-time Devil.

Drafted number one in the 2017 NHL Draft, Nico Hischier made history as the first player from Switzerland to be taken with the first pick by the New Jersey Devils, the team he is still playing for.

Hischier, as expected, made the opening day roster in his inaugural year in North American professional Hockey, and did well with 52 Points and a seventh-place finish for the Calder.  The next three seasons were a struggle for Hischier, who had 104 Points in 148 Games in that time frame, and though he represented the Devils in 2020 in the All-Star Game, it was a disappointing run for the Swiss Center.

It turned around for Hischier last year, as he had 60 Points, showing improvement in all facets of his game,.  In 2022-23, Hischier grew his Points tally to 80 and appears and had 67 last year showing that be is on the right path.  Hischier may not have lived up to the expectations of a number one pick, especially considering that Cale Makar was taken in the same draft, but there is still time to prove that New Jersey took a top ten franchise player.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021-22 revision of our top 50 New Jersey Devils.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NHL. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note, that this is our first revision, reflective of the last year.

With the Devils being a weak team in 2020-21, very little changed, and the top five remains the same as last year.

1. Martin Brodeur

2. Scott Stevens

3. Scott Niedermayer

4. Patrik Elias

5. Ken Daneyko

You can find the entire list here.

The only change is Kyle Palmieri, inching up one spot to #25. He was traded during the season last year to the New York Islanders.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  We have a new one to unveil today, that of the New Jersey Devils. 

An expansion team in 1974, the Devils were originally the Kansas City Scouts, but they only stayed there for two years before relocating to Denver and becoming the Colorado Rockies.  That only lasted six years before they relocated to New Jersey to become the Devils. After a few more years of mediocrity, they adopted a defensive strategy and won three Stanley Cups, 1995, 2000 & 2003.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NHL.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2019-20 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Martin Brodeur

2. Scott Stevens

3. Scott Niedermayer

4. Patrik Elias

5. Ken Daneyko

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

As always we thank you for your support.

Adam Larsson was the Fourth Overall Pick in the 2011 Draft, and the Swedish Defenseman made the Devils roster immediately, scoring 18 Points as a rookie and showing shutdown defensive skills.

Peter Stastny was an absolute superstar with the Quebec Nordiques where he averaged 1.42 Points per Game, and was a six-time All-Star.  Sadly, for Stastny the Nordiques were not that good, and the rebuilding team traded the Czech superstar to New Jersey late in the 1989-90 Season.

After ten seasons in the NHL, Dainius Zubrus signed with the New Jersey Devils as a Free Agent, bringing his versatile play to the Garden State.

Dave Andreychuk was a grizzled veteran when he arrived in New Jersey at the 1996 Trade Deadline.

A Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, Lyle Odelein was traded straight up for Stephane Richer before the 1996-97 Season.

The NHL brain trusts had not quite yet comfortable drafting Russian players, though 1990 was arguably the last season where the GMs would be gun-shy.  In this draft, the New Jersey Devils had an absolute steal in the 11thRound in Left Wing Valeri Zelepukin.

In 1983, the New Jersey Devils used their 12thRound Pick, a throwaway on Soviet Defenseman Alexei Kasatonov.  There was not a lot of hope that they would ever get him, but you never knew.  In 1990, after three Olympics and 12 seasons with the Red Army, Kasatonov arrived in New Jersey.

The Hall of Fame pro career of Brendan Shanahan began in New Jersey, where the Left Wing was taken Second Overall behind Pierre Turgeon in the 1987 Draft.

Jay Pandolfo was the 32nd Overall Pick in 1993, which occurred a year into his tenure at Boston University.  The native of Winchester, Massachusetts, stayed with the Terriers for three more years, and as a senior, he was the Hockey East Player of the Year.

Prior to his arrival in New Jersey (but after he was drafted), Chris Terreri was the MVP of the NCAA Tournament, although his team (Providence) lost the final game to RPI.  After a cup of coffee with the Devils in 1986-87, he sat out to participate for the United States in the 1988 Olympics, and two years later, he was the primary Goalie for the Devils until the arrival of Martin Brodeur. Nevertheless, he was a competent backup and was part of New Jersey's 1995 Stanley Cup winning Team.

After five productive seasons in Vancouver, Swedish Center, Patrik Sundstrom was dealt to New Jersey, where he continued his healthy level of two-way play.

From Worcester, Massachusetts, Bill Guerin was selected Fifth Overall in 1989 by the New Jersey Devils.