Arseny Gritsyuk, F, New Jersey Devils: The 24-year-old (6-0, 195), selected in the fifth round (No. 129) of the 2019 NHL Draft, is out with an upper-body injury. He’s tied for fifth among NHL rookies with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 31 games.
The Devils have managed 492 shot attempts for when Gritsyuk is on the ice, 153 more than the shot attempts against (339).
“Like a lot of first-year players, you can see that the demands of the schedule probably are taking a little wind out of his sails at different times, and he doesn’t have the same type of jump, both offensively or defensively, and pop in his stride,” New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. “But overall, he’s been a guy when on the ice, is driving things in a positive direction for our team and a big part of that is he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes defensively.”
After beginning the season averaging 13:32 of ice time in October, he earned 15:57 per game in a top-six role out of necessity with injuries throughout the lineup. What has been most impressive is Gritsyuk’s defensive game, which has allowed Keefe to trust him in various situations, including the opposition’s top lines.
“His reads are good, and he has the speed and the strength to get into spots and win puck battles or deny the middle of the ice,” Keefe said. “He continues to be a real solid player for us. We’ve had to manage his minutes and make sure he’s taking care of himself because it’s a lot when you’re going through this, especially for the first time.”