Daniil Karpovich

November 2024 – Karpovich has flown under the radar in terms of the Devils’ defense prospects, but there could be a legitimate NHLer here. He is sizeable, and he uses it to effectively shut down opposing offenses by proxy of his physicality and long reach. His active stick works well to dispossess attacking forwards, and he has shown occasional flashes of sending out a strong breakout pass to transitioning forwards once he does gain possession of the puck. He has solid mobility and speed for his size and has a strong shot from the point. It’s hard to gauge whether or not he will come over to North America, but if he does, he has the tools to be a bottom-four, two-way defender. JP Gambatese