Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

From Jackets to Devils: Castron leaves one scouting director job for another

Ray Shero

Ray Shero

AP

New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero’s restructuring of the New Jersey Devils continued on Friday as Paul Castron was brought on to serve as the team’s director of amateur scouting.

Castron will be replacing longtime scouting director David Conte, who the Devils parted ways with earlier this month.

It’s interesting to note that Castron was already serving as the director of scouting with the Columbus Blue Jackets, so at first glance this looks like a lateral move. However, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen had brought on board Ville Siren to oversee the team’s amateur scouting and that hurt Castron’s level of authority, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline.

“I would to thank Jarmo Kekalainen and the Columbus Blue Jackets for their cooperation in allowing Paul Castron to join the New Jersey Devils,” said Shero, per the team’s website. “Paul has an outstanding track record of evaluating and developing prospects for more than 20 years. We feel that he has the experience and leadership qualities to help us accomplish our player development goals.”

The Devils have been one of the least successful teams in recent years when it comes to drafting NHL talent while Columbus has been one of the best, as illustrated by this chart from TSN.ca’s Travis Yost.

Paul Castron and Ray Shero were teammates at St. Lawrence University.

— Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) July 31, 2015

Follow @RyanDadoun