Alexander Holtz, a New Jersey Devils’ former seventh overall draft selection (2020), has mostly struggled to find his footing in the league. For the first time in his career, he was finally able to latch onto a full-time NHL role – one of only five Devils to skate in all 82 games in 2023-24.
Unfortunately, that sounds greater than it truly is. While Holtz did score 16 goals, he only accumulated 28 total points to go along with a minus-15 rating. The advanced metrics don’t do him much good either, as his 47.95 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) was the third-worst among all lineup regulars, only trailing Nathan Bastian and Brendan Smith (per Natural Stat Trick). The opposition had 21 more high-danger chances than the Devils had when Holtz was on the ice.
His lack of defensive responsibility led to a meager 11:38 of average ice time – and quite a few pine-riding stints. At exit interviews, Holtz mentioned how he “hoped” he got the chance to play for Team Sweden at the upcoming IIHF World Championship. His wish was partially granted, as he got the opportunity to attend their training camp. But after failing to record a point in two pre-tournament games, he was left off their final roster, thus concluding a frustrating season. Instead, they opted for two non-NHLers who currently play in Europe: 29-year-old Jesper Froden (ZSC Lions) and 18-year-old Felix Unger Sorum (Leksands IF).
Struggling Year for Holtz
There’s been plenty of debate about whether or not Holtz has been properly utilized. But what Sweden has opted to do highlights the fact that it may just be more of a Holtz issue than a coaching issue.
In the past few months, Lindy Ruff and Travis Green both took similar approaches in their handling of Holtz, emphasizing that he needs to be more of a complete player to gain increased ice time. Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald was blunt in his assessment:
“If Holtz changes as a player, then it will change his ice time…He has not had a good year. I don’t believe it’s because he’s been on the fourth line. The core values you have as a player – strong on walls, puck play, puck management, are you turning pucks over, can you be better in certain situations…those areas have to be way better. Not just for him, but for a lot of players.”
General manager Tom Fitzgerald
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Now, by the omission of Holtz at the Worlds, that makes Swedish head coach Sam Hallam the fourth high-ranking executive to denounce his play…and that’s just in the last few months. That’s pretty telling. You certainly have to feel for Holtz, who is still just 22 years old. At exits, he said, “(Being a 200-foot player) is going to be one of the main focuses (of the offseason). We’re gonna work on my whole game…it’s been a little frustrating. You want to play as much as possible. But I definitely think it adds motivation and my goal is to come back stronger.”
This doesn’t mean Holtz will never carve out a successful NHL career, or even that it’s the Devils’ best option to move on from him. There’s been inklings and flashes of consistency, but his game hasn’t been well-rounded enough to make it long-term. That’s not to say that can’t change.
One gripe that the fanbase seems to have in Holtz’s handling is that the discipline laid on him was not fairly extended to the rest of the forward group. That’s an entirely fair assessment, in my opinion. While Holtz certainly did not excel in his 200-foot game, there were various times that other players committed similarly bad turnovers, lost important puck battles, or failed to clear the zone. Those players were not typically benched or reprimanded like Holtz was.
Regardless, an important offseason is coming up for Holtz and the Devils. It’s tough to see where exactly he fits in. With the raw talent there but not much else, it could go so many different ways. He could be a 25-goal NHL scorer next season or a season-long American Hockey League (AHL) middle-sixer.
As every offseason has been, this one feels like it’s the biggest for Holtz. If this next season isn’t a successful one, it might force the Devils’ hand towards moving on. At this moment, it doesn’t seem like his trade value is too high – so it might not even make sense to explore that during this offseason. But maybe eventually moving on (a la Pavel Zacha) is what’s best for both sides. Time will tell.
