NHL Draft 2020: 5 takeaways from Devils’ 3 1st-round picks | Dawson Mercer a Patrice Bergeron clone?

Tom Fitzgerald

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald recapped the first day of the 2020 NHL Draft by saying his club selected three first-round picks that "we believe not only will be able to play in the NHL, but help us to our goal of winning Stanley Cups."

A theme to the first day of Tom Fitzgerald’s first NHL Draft as Devils general manager was trusting the draft board that he and his scouting staff spent months making and remaking before finalizing early this week.

So when it was time to make the first of their three first-round picks on Tuesday night, Swedish left wing sniper Alexander Holtz was their guy at No. 7 because he was the top remaining prospect on their board.

It was that way again at No. 18 when Devils picked workaholic QMJHL center Dawson Mercer and yet again two spots later when they opted for 6-foot-4 KHL defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin at No. 20 even though most draftniks projected the Russian to go in the second round.

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“At the end of the day, I felt it was a really good day for us,” Fitzgerald said after making his picks virtually from the Devils' Prudential Center war room. “The players that we picked were the due diligence that we did in all of them, and where they fell on our list was important. Integrity to our list, the amount of time and effort our scouts, including myself, have put into watching video on these guys and seeing qualities that we believe not only will be able to play in the NHL, but help us to our goal of winning Stanley Cups and being a contender.”

Here are 5 takeaways from the Devils' first day of the 2020 NHL Draft:

MERCER SHOOTING FOR STARS

Mercer sounds like a guy who plans on scoring about 30 goals a year, winning a bunch of Selke Trophies as the NHL’s top defensive forward and raising the Stanley Cup. The Chicoutimi Sagueneens' top-line center wants to make a name for himself playing like his favorite player.

“Patrice Bergeron is the guy I’ve always looked at growing up as a kid,” Mercer said. “My dad was a fan of him, and I just kept on looking up to him through the ages. He was the NHL jersey that I got as a kid, and it is a dream to be able to compare myself to him and hear other people say his name and that’s the style of game I have. So for sure, I’ll kind of bring that out in the future of my hockey.”

NICE GUY, TOO

Mercer, who projects as a future Devils third-line center or possibly a winger, was impressive during his media availability while explaining his character.

“First of all, I think it’s a big thing for me treating others the way that I want to be treated, making sure that you’re friends with everyone and you don’t have no one that you don’t like,” he said. “I feel like if everyone in the dressing room are your friends or in the classroom are your buddies, it’s the best way to go. I think having that character is a big bonus for me, and it’s something that I make sure I bring every day. I’m just making sure that I’m a good player, but also a good person off the ice and on the ice.”

HOLTZ NOT NHL READY

Holtz sounded very confident that he’s going to score a lot of goals in the NHL because his shot is a huge weapon, but he probably won’t try to talk the Devils out of keeping him in the Swedish Hockey League all season, which apparently is the plan.

Asked if he’s NHL ready, Holtz answered, “It’s a hard question. Of course my goal is to be as ready as I can be. That is what I work for every day.”

‘WHO’S THE BIG KID?’

The Devils don’t care if people think they reached using the 20th pick on Mukhamadullin, who was ranked the 31st-best prospect by TSN’s Craig Button, 38th by Recrutes’ Grant McCagg, No. 42 by TSN’s Bob McKenzie and 72nd by McKeen’s Hockey.

“He’s a bit of an unknown maybe to a lot of people … but we felt extremely comfortable picking him,” Fitzgerald said.


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Fitzgerald became infatuated with Mukhamadullin, a big left-shot blueliner with a booming shot, while scouting his KHL teammate Rodion Amirov, a left wing who was picked at No. 15 by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Every time you’d watch Amirov, I kept coming back, ‘Who’s the big kid, the mobile kid?’ And the more you watch, the more you think, ‘Why aren’t we talking about this kid more?’

“He’s a big defender. He runs the power play. Puck mover. Lanky but rangy. Good stick. Good agility. Those are qualities that we see around the league. We all watched the playoffs and every team has guys like this on their team and contributing. And that’s what we loved about him.”

TRADE TALKS WENT NOWHERE

It wouldn’t have been surprising if the Devils had traded the 18th or 20th pick for a young and controllable NHL player who could play next season either on their top two lines or as a two-four defenseman.

Fitzgerald was willing to deal, but nothing was presented. All the while, he looked into switching his draft spots with the later first-round picks.

“We talked about moving back,” he said. "We talked about moving up to pick a player. Players for draft picks … it was very quiet. Teams weren’t interested, so at the end of the day you make your picks.”

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