Nico Daws

October 2026 – Devils GM Sunny Mehta announced early in the offseason that the goaltending strategy for 2026-27 would be a tandem between veteran Jake Allen and goalie prospect Nico Daws. Mehta acknowledged the strategy as an exciting opportunity for Daws to develop at the NHL level. At this point, we’re two starts into Daws’ first season as an NHL regular, and on paper, Daws has gotten off to a rough start.

He manned the net for a 6-0 loss to the Islanders in his season debut, and then lost again to Ottawa 4-1 in his most recent start. It’s only a small sample size, but at the moment, Daws is bottom-10 amongst goalies in goals saved above expected while rocking a .824 SV% and a .588 high-danger SV%. There has been little statistical support for Daws’ play so far, but the eye test in his first two starts has been a little more flattering. Daws’ defensive environment has set him up to fail in both games thus far, leaving him to deal with an abundance of odd-man opportunities, scoring chances off cross-ice passes, and breakaways. All of that on top of providing no legitimate goal support in either game put serious pressure on Daws throughout both starts. Additionally, teams have clearly done their homework on Daws, as they’ve been constantly targeting him glove side in his first two starts. It has forced him to come up with some impressive glove saves so far this season. His glove work thus far indicates Daws has made strides to round out one of the weaknesses in his game, but not to the point where he’s turned his glove into a strength.

As long as the team in front of him continues to hang Daws out to dry, it will be difficult to evaluate his potential to be the regular starter for the Devils or even the 1A in his current tandem with Jake Allen. Despite what giving a tandem opportunity to an unproven goalie prospect would suggest, the Devils are a team looking to contend. If Daws cannot show evidence that he can be relied upon for quality starts, the Devils may look to give his opportunities to new addition Rémi Porier or veteran David Rittich as the playoff race in the Metro heats up.

Fantasy owners in deep redraft or dynasty leagues should pay close attention to Daws’ play over the coming weeks. At the moment, it is tough to view Daws as more than high-upside backup goalie asset in both the short and the long term, especially considering the eventual emergence of Devils No. 1 goalie prospect Mikhail Yegorov.  Nick Burwell

September 2025 – After sharing the ‘third-in-line’ position with Akira Schmid over the last several seasons, Daws finds himself as the incumbent AHL starter heading into the new year. Schmid has moved on to the Vegas Golden Knights organization, and Daws can focus on developing his game to be ready to challenge for the NHL crease as both Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen are 35 years old.

In a six game stint at the NHL level in 2024-2025, Daws went 3-1-0 with a 1.60 GAA and .939 save percentages. His AHL numbers were less inspiring at 11-20-3 and 3.16/.893.

With prospect goalies Mikhail Yegorov and recently drafted Trenten Bennett both seeing time in the NCAA, Daws has the inside track on call ups for injury or ‘load maintenance’ for the veteran netminders on the Devils. It’s up to Daws to now seize the opportunity.

At 52 NHL games played, he is right on the cusp of losing farm eligibility in fantasy leagues- depending on your settings- and would be a very speculative stash on a pro roster at this time. If your league lets you stash him on the farm, it is worth the gamble given his proximity to the NHL net, barring any trades by the Devils.  Alex Wyatt

February 2025 – Daws has spent a bit of time in the NHL this season by proxy of Jacob Markstrom’s injury, and he performed well in his two starts. He has otherwise struggled in Utica this season, though, with a middling .891 save percentage in 23 games. A myriad of injuries derailed his seemingly surefire path toward being a backup goaltender, and it’s admittedly difficult to project him as anything more than an injury call-up at this point. Until Daws proves that he can thrive against lesser competition, his forecast will not change in that regard. JP Gambatese

January 2024 – Returning from offseason surgery, the plan for the AHL was to give Nico Daws a light workload, easing him back into play. So it would come as a bit of a surprise that not only did the Devils call Daws up, but also gave him his first NHL game, stopping 25/27 shots in a win against the Senators. Showing a high composure level and comfortability in danger, Daws may be the surprise option New Jersey needs in what has been a rollercoaster season so far. – Austin Kelly

March 2022 – Daws has earned himself seven NHL starts in his first North American pro season, posting decent numbers for a rookie with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage while backing up a Devils team that has struggled to put together wins. With Utica in the AHL, his numbers are even more impressive through 18 games (2.41 GAA, .918 sv%). There’s a calm in Daws’ game and an abi that makes you think that he’ll put it together at the NHL level. If he can work on his technique and angles a bit more, the Devils might have a starter here. Hadi Kalakeche

April 2021 – Unfortunately for Daws, the OHL seems to have shut down entirely, at least for the foreseeable future. He has been limited to nine games in the last calendar year, padding up in the DEL for Ingolstadt. His .895 save percentage and 2.89 goals against are good for third in the league for players his age, and 26th overall. An understandable shortcoming for a goaltender in a foreign country, playing against men for the first time. Hopefully, COVID-19 releases its grip on the world soon and Daws can go back to dominating in North America. Hadi Kalakeche

October 2020 – Daws is a once-overage goaltender who put up the highest numbers of any netminder in the OHL last season, with a .924 save percentage. His size is impressive, at 6-4 and 200 pounds already. He fills the net with that frame, making shooters hesitate by showing little twine behind him and controls his rebounds well. He does not like to play the puck often, choosing rather to play it safe; this inflates his numbers by causing more defensive zone grind time for his team, which generates a higher volume of low-danger shots compared to a puck-playing goaltender, who will prevent many scoring chances before they happen, but face a higher percentage of high-danger chances on opposing rushes and after failed clearing attempts. Daws will continue to play prime minutes for Guelph, as they gear towards a playoff push. If everything comes together for him, he could take over a backup spot within the next four years, and becoming a reliable 1A/1B tandem goaltender in his mid-twenties. Hadi Kalakeche

October 2020 – Daws was drafted 84th overall by the Devils. Daws is expected to spend another year in the OHL before turning pro.  Jokke Nevalainen

September 2020 – Nico Daws made a name for himself early in his draft plus-one season as he started hot for the Guelph Storm. His strong play led to him being named the starting netminder for the Canadian World Junior team. He eventually lost the top job to Joel Hofer but his play in Guelph was solid all year. He dealt with some injuries in the second half of the season but he played in enough games (38) to justify his rising drat position, especially when he was able to put up a .924 save percentage. He has good size and his mobility is above average. The real test will come as he moves up and faces faster and better competition, much like any young goaltender. He isn’t a sure-fire prospect like top netminder Yaroslav Askarov but he could be the second goaltender’s name called at the NHL draft as he is in the group right behind Askarov on many boards. Tony Ferrari