The NHL Entry Draft is moving quickly, now.  The New Jersey Devils made their 114th overall pick, their fourth round selection, on Minnesota high school defenseman Joe Faust.

Joe Faust - D - 5'11" 190 lbs. - CSS Rank: 118 - Born in: Edina, Minnesota (Source: NHL.com)
2009-10 Team: Bloomington Jefferson High School - 25 GP - 13 G - 27 A - 40 Pts. - 18 PIM

Joe Faust is a Princeton recruit per Minnesota Hockey Hub, so he'll be local next season.  UPDATE: Per Tom Gulitti's post on the pick, Faust has de-committed from Princeton and his future is up in the air. Like with most high school and tier II junior prospects, how they will do at the next level will largely determine whether they have a future in pro hockey.  

There's not a lot about Faust immediately found. There is this short profile at Minnesota Hockey Prospects with this blurb:

Has the patience to control the puck and wait for a developing play rather than forcing it. Makes great outlet passes that generate odd man rushes and has demonstrated the ability to pass in traffic. Has a hard, accurate shot. Faust does a good job tying up defenders while keeping his attention on the puck, a skill that hinders many of his peers. Skating is just ok, needs to improve his footwork.

Western College Hockey Blog has some familiarity with Faust.  WCHB ranked Faust as the 17th best senior in Minnesota high school hockey.  Moreover, he checked out a Bloomington Jefferson game and came away pleased with how Faust played:

Joe Faust was another kid where my general impression was a tad lower than the general consensus. He was extremely impressive tonight though. His vision and ability to make long passes is exceptional. He's got pretty decent size too. His defensive game has never been his strong point, but it's improved, and something that can probably be coached along.

Granted, if those doesn't sound so impressive, then, well, it isn't?  He was ranked to be in the fourth round by Central Scouting Services, he was taken in the fourth round, and this late in the draft is where prospects who aren't so impressive get taken. That one of his flaws appears to be his defense - which is a terrible flaw for a defenseman to have - indicates that he needs some work. 

I don't mind this pick as Faust will go to college (maybe), spend a lot of time developing as an offensive defenseman, and if both Faust and the Devils are lucky, then maybe they got an asset here.  That's all you can hope for this late.

All the same, I welcome Joe Faust to the New Jersey Devils organization and I wish him the best of luck going forward. Please leave your thoughts on Faust in the comments.