Rookie Midterms: How Simon Nemec's activation game has fit in perfectly with the New Jersey Devils

Not to be outdone by the Montréal Canadiens at first overall, the New Jersey Devils sent shockwaves of their own through the Centre Bell when they took Slovak defenceman Simon Nemec with the second overall pick.

The pick itself wasn't necessarily a reach. Nemec was a fixture in the top six of almost every public ranking, and we can safely assume most NHL ones, too. It did run counter to our expectations though. Conventional wisdom at the time suggested that Shane Wright or Logan Cooley were the logical choices in that spot.

The Devils had other plans. They had their sights firmly set on Nemec and immediately brought him to North America to develop with their farm team in the AHL, the Utica Comets. Now, two seasons later, it's clear that their scouts knew something most at the time didn't: Ju