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Devils 2026 NHL Draft Live Blog: Rounds 2-7; Scouting Reports & Grades
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- Devils 2026 NHL Draft Live Blog: Rounds 2-7; Scouting Reports & Grades
The New Jersey Devils are looking for value on Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft.
On Friday, the Devils selected Alexander Command with the 12th pick in the first round out of Sweden. It's a solid pick for the Devils who take a player that can slot behind Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier at some point, playing an Anton Lundell-type role in New Jersey.
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Devils Draft Picks Day 2
The Devils have four picks on the second day of the draft. Such picks include:
Pick No.35 (second round)
Pick No.44 (second round)Pick 140 (fifth round)
Pick 172 (sixth round)
Devils Trades
On the clock in the second round with pick No.35, Sunny Mehta traded the pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for picks No. 37 & 119 (fourth round).
Devils Picks
#37 – F Matias Vanhanen
Daniel Amoia —Once again, GM Sunny Mehta seemed to make what the general public considered to be a bit of a reach at #37, selecting F Matias Vanhanen. But if they were eyeing this player the whole time, they got some great value by trading back from #35 and adding another pick (#119) in the process.
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In seven major draft mocks, he was projected to go an average of #64. Seeing his totals and underlying numbers, it's hard to understand why aside from his slightly undersized 5-foot-11 frame and the fact that he went undrafted last year. But numbers are numbers; Vanhanen had an incredible 87 points (21 G, 66 A) in just 62 games for Everett (WHL).
TSN's Craig Button did have him ranked at #28. That seems like a much better valuation. Vanhanen also added 24 points (12 G, 12 A) in 18 playoff games. The Sportsnet broadcast called him "the second-most prolific playmaker in the draft class".
As you saw last night (Alexander Command) and with the next pick, a lot of his underlying metrics look super promising:
At the end of the day, if you look at any year's draft, many players fail to reach their draft expectations. Mehta deserves benefit of the doubt unless proven otherwise. Vanhanen's counting stats alone seem to make the gamble worth it — and Mehta clearly has a set plan in the sort of players he's drafting.
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In his media availability, Vanhanen said Jack Hughes is one of his idols. He's been following Jack for "almost 10 years".
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