THREE THINGS: Alexander Holtz Will Be Worth the Wait

From the moment he was drafted, there was much excitement surrounding the Devils first pick of the draft Alexander Holtz. Weeks leading up to the draft, his shot was praised, tabbing him as having the best shot in the entire 2020 draft class. The Devils got their hands on him at seventh overall and see him as another key piece of the young foundation for the franchise. When he does make it over to North America, he'll be a very welcome addition to the growing young core of the New Jersey Devils.
For now, he'll make his mark overseas and in international tournaments that Devils brass will closely keep their eyes on. Here are Three Things: Alexander Holtz, presented by Wawa.

1. WORLD JUNIOR CAMP

A marquee event for players in the U20 category is always the World Junior tournament held over the winter holiday season. The tournament is expected to go ahead as planned, with international teams gathering in Red Deer, Alberta for the yearly event.
With little surprise, Holtz is among those currently at his national team camp and unsurprisingly expected to play a big role. At the 2020 tournament Holtz, in winning the bronze medal, had three goals and five points in seven games.
As of right now, Holtz is practicing on the top line for Sweden, alongside Lucas Raymond and Karl Henriksson.

On the power play, Holtz has been slotted in on the left side on the first unit.

Sweden and Finland will play in three exhibition games in three days, starting on Thursday.

2. IMPACT PLAYER

As an 18-year-old in Sweden's top league, Holtz doesn't look out of place one bit. Yes, he's one of the youngest players in the league, but he's certainly not playing like it.
With Djurgårdens, he's well on his way to surpassing his 2019-20 points total (16pts) and he's just eight games into his season. Through those eight games, Holtz has six points, including four goals. It should be no surprise that Hotlz's four goals is tied for his team's lead, it's his shot that has been heavily praised since well before this year's NHL draft.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Don't worry, Swedish Hockey League. We'll make sure he stops terrorizing you soon enough.pic.twitter.com/QgQvNEtG7S
"He's a pure goal scorer," Tom Fitzgerald said ahead of the 2020 draft, "He's got the great shot, skates well […] he finds opens seams and open areas in the offensive zone. And when he does find space, it doesn't take him too long to get that great shot off. He's the best pure goal scorer in the draft. That's fact. So, he's a great young player."
Overall, Holtz's six points is one off the team lead, held by centerman Sebastian Strandberg.

3. EXCITED FOR SMALLER ICE

There's always that question mark with players, how will their game translate onto different ice surfaces. The ice surface in Sweden is played on an Olympic size rink, which is 15 feet wider than an NHL ice surface. If you ask Holtz, it should be no problem for him once he moves over to North America.
"I love the smaller rink," he's said, "I think you have a good chance to shoot like when you get to the offensive zone all the time. So, you can shoot from almost everywhere. So, I think I'm more of a smaller guy, a smaller ice guy."
That should make Devils fans even more excited about the seventh overall selection, who when he does join the team and is in North America, is in full confidence his game will translate, if not be even more exciting.

AND ONE MORE THING...

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