Without a first round pick in this year’s draft, the Devils didn’t begin their draft until today. With six picks today, the team drafted two goaltenders and addressed some other holes within the organization. Here’s a recap on the Devils six picks from the 2010 NHL draft.
Second Round (38th Overall) – D Jon Merrill (U.S. National Team Developmental Program)
The Devils selected Merrill, a 6’3″ defenseman, with their first pick in the draft. Merrill is described as a smooth skater with good puck movement. Merrill had one goal and eight assists with the USNTP’s Under-18 team in 2009-2010.
When asked by Tom Gulitti what his strengths are, the defender said “Just being real responsible defensively, being consistent, making reliable, simple plays, but also contribute offensively and run the power play and things like that.”
Merrill, who was expected to be drafted in the first round, may have fallen to the Devils because of disciplinary issues. The defenseman was suspended for two weeks during the 2009-2010 season for an off-ice incident, where Merrill allegedly “harassed” a group of girls at his high school.
He also reportedly interviewed poorly during the combine.
Merrill will attend the University of Michigan next year, where he committed to when he was 14. The defenseman would like to play at least one year for the school.
Third Round (84th Overall) – G Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth, OHL)
With their third round pick, the Devils drafted 17-year-old goaltender Scott Wedgewood from Etobicoke, Ontario.
Wedgewood is the first goalie drafted by the Devils’ since the team selected Jeff Frazee 38th overall in 2005.
Wedgewood was ranked 19th out of 30 North American goalies. He served as a backup for Plymouth this season, going 5-9-0 with a 3.26 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in 18 OHL games. He appeared in four playoff games, going 1-0-1 with a 2.57 GAA and a .956 save percentage. The goalie caught the eye of scouts and general managers alike with a 71-save performance in a 3-2 overtime loss to Windsor during the playoffs. Wedgewood was forced into action because of the suspension of Plymouth starter Matt Hackett.
Fourth Round (114th Overall) – D Joe Faust (Bloomington-Jefferson, USHS)
With the 114th selection, the Devils drafted defenseman Joe Faust from Bloomington-Jefferson High School in Minnesota.
Faust, a 5’11″, 190 pound defenseman, originally committed to playing for Princeton this upcoming season. Faust, however, de-committed, and rumors are he is looking to join a Western Collegiate Hockey Association school closer to home.
Faust, an offensive-defenseman with a right-handed shot, scored 13 goals and totaled 27 assists in 25 games for Bloomington-Jefferson this season.
The Minnesota defenseman was ranked the 118th North American skater by the NHL’s Central Scouting Department.
Read after the jump for the profiles of the Devils’ sixth and seventh round draftees.
Sixth Round (174th Overall) – G Maxime Clermont (Gatineau, QMJHL)
With their sixth round pick, the Devils drafted a second goalie, Maxime Clermont, from the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL.
Clermont was ranked as the 18th best North American goaltender available by the NHL Central Scouting department. In 2009-2010, the Montreal native played in 59 regular season games, going 24-31-0 with a 2.81 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage.
In 11 postseason games, Clermont had a 3.59 goals-against average and an .887 save percentage.
Clermont played in the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game as a member of Team Cherry.
Seventh Pick (204th Overall) – RW Mauro Jorg (Lugano, Switzerland)
With the Devils last pick of the draft, the team selected Swedish right-winger Mauro Jorg of Lugano.
Jorg was ranked as the 68th best European skater available, according to the NHL Central Scouting department. He had one goal, seven assists and 14 penalty minutes in 44 games played for Lugano in 2009-2010.
Jorg also played for Team Switzerland at the 2010 World Junior Championships, collecting three goals and one assist in seven games.
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That’s your basic profiles on the Devils’ five 2010 draft picks. I’ll post my analysis on the goalies later, and check out the Devils website or NHL.com for some more in-depth profiles.
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