Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sonny Milano poses for a photo with team officials after being selected as the number sixteen overall pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In the Columbus Hockey World it’s all IIHF, Captain and Mock Draft talk right now. Two new mock drafts in the past 24 hours. 2 NEW prospects “coming” to Columbus. After weeks and mocks of Ivan Provorov‘s name being called every time the Columbus Blue Jackets were on the clock, it’s seems the tide is shifting, at least according to these sites.
First mock up is from Nicholas Goss over at NESN. Goss has us taking Center Pavel Zacha from the Sarnia Sting.
Gross had this to say about Zacha, “Zacha is a gifted skater with the ability to be a perennial 20-plus goal scorer at the top level. His size and willingness to play a physical game would fit in nicely with Columbus’ blue-collar style of hockey in which forwards are required to play defense, win puck battles, block shots, etc.”
Adding his fit into the Jackets’ current roster, “The Blue Jackets have found a No. 1 center with former fourth overall pick Ryan Johansen, who along with veteran Brandon Dubinsky and Zacha, could give Columbus excellent depth down the middle for many years.”
Not sure if Goss just forgot about Artem Anisimov, Alexander Wennberg and Boone Jenner or just doesn’t think they can develop into quality 3rd and 4th line centers because it seems the Jackets actually have excellent depth down the middle for many years with Anisimov only 27 years old, Wennberg 20 and Jenner 22. Remember Wennberg was our highest draft choice in 2013 at 14th overall and Jenner 2 years before going 37th overall in the 2011 Draft.
It’s also worth nothing that Zacha is a very polar player in scouts’ eyes. TSN’s Craig Button actually has him ranked 30th! (though Button has Noah Hanifin ranked 12th when most scouts have him 3rd) while NHL has him 8th and most others have him somewhere in the middle 13th-ish, like ESPN, Damien Cox of SportsNet and many more (you can view a board of most places here).
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Interesting takeaways from this is he has Hanifin, the top ranked defender in most lists and best prospect outside of the untouchable 2 of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, going 3rd. He has the Carolina Hurricanes taking Ivan Provorov with #5 pick. Remember Provorov is the one almost every mock prior to these has the Jackets taking. He also has Jakub Zboril as the next defender off the board at #10 to the Colorado Avalanche, in front of defenceman Zach Werenski of Michigan who is widely considered the 3rd best defensive prospect if not 2nd in front of Provorov.
Most mocks have Hanifin going 3rd then a string of offense until the Jackets picked having their option of defenders not named Hanifin, typically having Provorov as the 2nd best defender and the pick to the Jackets, where he is ranked on most draft boards. Here he has the Hurricane’s maybe reaching a bit for need instead of best available, something that is on going discussion and more importantly, something I’ve feared for some time. As I’ve said I would much rather the Jackets trade up to get the defender of their choice then play the wait game. I honestly believe this is the last time the Jackets will be picking this high for some time so they need to grab the guy they think is by far the best.
The next mock is RantSports.com. They have our Jackets taking LW Lawson Crouse of Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) stating “I love Crouse’s game and ability to dictate the tempo down low to wreak havoc on opposing defenders. Adding the big forward makes a young and exciting Jackets team’s future even brighter.”
They have Hanifin going 3rd, Werenski going 7th the Philadelphia Flyers and Provorov going 9th to the San Jose Sharks.
More from Union and Blue
- Blaming Columbus Blue Jacket Players for Babcock Fallout is Unfair
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Crouse to the Jackets would be a best available play as most boards have him in top 7, highest was 5th from NHL, ISS Hockey and Sportsnet while lowest was 11th from TSN and a double dip at THW. This could be a smart pick that might drive the fan base wild, as many have been clamoring for a defender after taking 5 high offensive picks as opposed to only one defender, Ryan Murray, who has the fanbase constantly walking on egg shells every time he so much as sneezes. If you believe he is the best player on the board, I’m willing to roll with you and find need in a trade later. Talent is always solid trade bait, a position limits your market and diminishes your return. Eventually though the Jackets are going to need to do something due to the abundance of offensive talent and exact opposite defensively.
Young talent seems the way to go as this team is set up for the long haul instead of a small Cup window so it would obviously make sense to add young defensive talent if it adds up, as it does here with Provorov still on the board and Werenski going a pick prior. Another thing to keep an eye on is the Philadelphia Flyers before us. In our previous mock drafts, the only mock that didn’t have Provorov coming to the Jackets was where Provorov went to the Flyers, as word is they’re very interested in adding defensive talent as well.
Again I believe if the Jackets really want to add defensive talent this draft they need to do it where they’re not reaching for it. Werenski and Provorov generally match up with the 8th pick and they’re around 6-10 on most boards. I’m also highly into the idea of talking to the Coyotes about a potential deal for the Jackets to move up to snag Hanifin.
This will definitely be something to keep an eye on as we creep closer to the draft. Make sure to continue to check back as we’ll keep you up to date on everything as well as individual draft profiles coming soon.