The New Jersey Devils today announced that defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk has signed a three-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2019-20 season. Okhotyuk was New Jersey’s second-round selection, 61st overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft. The announcement was made by Devils’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Ray Shero.
Okhotyuk, 19, has spent the last three seasons with Ottawa in the Ontario Hockey League. The left-shooting blue-liner has five assists in nine games played this season, since returning from injury. Last season, he scored two goals and 15 assists for 17 points with 43 penalty minutes and a plus-30 rating in 56 contests with the 67’s. He added one goal and one assist in 18 OHL playoff games. In Ottawa, he is teammates with fellow Devils’ prospects- forwards Mitchell Hoelscher (2018 Draft, 6th Round, 172nd overall), Graeme Clarke (2019 Draft, 3rd Round, 80th overall), and recently acquired defenseman Kevin Bahl (2018 Draft, 2nd Round, 55th overall). In 2018-19, he skated in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Born December 4, 2000, the 6-1, 195lb. native of Chelyabinsk, Russia represented his home country in this year’s Canada-Russia Series. In 2018, he played for Team Russia at the Under-18 World Junior Championships and was the captain for the squad at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
