The Three Best Draft Picks in CBJ History
Yesterday we took a look at the three worst draft picks ever made by the Columbus Blue Jackets, all of whom were first round choices. While it’s important to strike it rich with high draft picks, it’s arguably more important to find hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft. Unfortunately for the club, those success stories are somewhat scarce, but one of those players lands on our list here.
As with our “worst” list, we’ll look at drafts occurring only before 2017. There have been several success stories since then and it looks to be improving; my guess is if we redo this list in two or three years, we may have to weed through several more draft success stories to find our revised list. The team is heading for a bright future, and strong drafting is at the core of that success curve. For this list, one of the biggest things I took into consideration was success in Columbus. This somewhat writes off players like Jakub Voracek and Mark Methot, who spent the prime of his careers elsewhere. Let’s take a look at the three players and how I ranked them:
Oliver Bjorkstrand, 3rd round (#89 overall), 2013 NHL Draft
Heading into the 2013 Draft with a gutted NHL roster and thin prospects pool, recently hired GM Jarmo Kekalainen had a decent stockpile of picks, including three first rounders. After securing three players targeted higher on their list, Jarmo found a trade partner for his own second round pick – sending selection #44 (Tristan Jarry) to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for picks #50 and #89. While pick #50 (Dillon Heatherington) didn’t pan out as planned, that 89th selection became a key NHL player: Oliver Bjorkstrand.
That Bjorkstrand was available late in the third round is surprising. He was coming off of a 31 goal, 63 point season in 65 games for Portland (WHL), his first in North America. Despite being undersized, he showed a drive and willingness to play physical hockey in the toughest areas of the ice. And his shot was NHL ready, even as a 17 year old, his quick release allowing him to torment opposing goaltenders seemingly at will, and with no windup.
His production only improved post draft, as he would go on to score another 113 goals in the Western Hockey League over the next two seasons, including 63 in just 59 games in 2014-15. Bjorkstrand went pro the next season and was instrumental in helping the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) win the 2016 Calder Cup. Though he struggled to find his footing in the NHL until the 2017-18 season, he remained a productive player wherever he went, while working on the two-way aspect of his game.
See: Oliver Bjorkstrand’s first NHL goal
Fast-forward to 2021-22 and Oliver Bjorkstrand is a mainstay in Columbus, signed for four more seasons and wearing an “A” on his jersey. He has become a top-six forward for the Blue Jackets; already with 111 career NHL goals and 234 points in 382 games. Should he remain in Central Ohio for his entire career, it’s quite likely that he will be amongst the team’s all-time leaders in several categories. Not bad for a guy selected in the late third round.
Zach Werenski, 1st round (#8 overall), 2015 NHL Draft
The Blue Jackets entered the 2015 Draft with a lottery pick, and like every other team with ping pong balls in the machine, were hopeful that luck would pay off and they could land Connor McDavid, arguably the best prospect to enter the league in ten years. But fate was not fortunate for the Blue Jackets and they wound up with the eighth selection. Their consolation prize has turned out to be well worth it however, as they selected cornerstone defenseman Zach Werenski.
Werenski entered the draft as the consensus third best defense prospect, behind Noah Hanifin (5th overall, Carolina) and Ivan Provorov (7th, Philadelphia). When the Blue Jackets made their selection however, GM Jarmo Kekalainen was quick to point out that Werenski was their guy, and in the end the pick has worked out well.
Werenski entered the draft off of a strong season with the University of Michigan, scoring 9 goals and 25 points as a freshman. He would return to the Wolverines for one more year in 2015-16, improving his totals to 11 goals and 36 points in 36 games. With little left to prove at the collegiate level, Werenski turned pro in 2016 and turned heads immediately, not only making the Blue Jackets roster out of camp, but slotting right into the top defense pairing alongside Seth Jones. Werenski’s rookie season was outstanding, as he posted 11 goals and 47 points in 78 games, finishing 3rd in Calder Trophy voting for the top rookie in the NHL.
Werenski and Jones would become one of the premier defense tandems in the league for the Blue Jackets for several seasons, before Jones was dealt to Chicago last summer. But without missing a beat, Werenski stepped right up for the Blue Jackets and became a standout leader for their young defense corps, wearing a letter on his jersey and still being an offensive producer.
Already with 403 NHL games under his belt, Werenski has scored 76 goals and 237 points for the Blue Jackets, both totals are the most all-time by a defenseman in Columbus. A case will probably be made for Werenski as the greatest Blue Jacket of all time, should he play out his career in Columbus and remain healthy. If that holds true, he will succeed the #1 player on this list.
Rick Nash, 1st round (#1 overall), 2002 NHL Draft
Okay, okay, I get it. We started the article off talking about how depth picks are the key to building a successful franchise, and Rick Nash was a first overall pick. And no, the team didn’t exactly ignite the night very often when he was in Columbus (remember that hype line?). But, if we’re talking about the most successful draft picks in Blue Jackets history, the list has to begin and end with Rick Nash.
In his third draft as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Doug MacLean held the third overall pick in the first round. Worried that the then-Atlanta Thrashers might trade out of the #2 pick, MacLean swung a deal with Florida Panthers GM Rick Dudley, swapping his #3 overall pick for the #1 overall pick, and the teams threw mid-round picks to Atlanta to stay at #2. This guaranteed the selection of Rick Nash at first overall, the Panthers got their preferred target in Jay Bouwmeester, and everyone went home happy. All it cost the Blue Jackets? A swap of first round picks the following year – which never even took place because the Panthers wound up below the Jackets in the standings.
Nash was fresh off of back-to-back 30 goal campaigns in the OHL and hit the opening night roster for the Blue Jackets. He wasted no time in scoring his first NHL goal on opening night – with an assist from Mike Sillinger (more on him in a minute). It was the start of a storybook career for Nash in Columbus, where he would virtually write the team’s record book. Nash remains the all-time leader in goals scored (289), assists (258), points (547), and games played (674), as well as countless other categories.
But more so than his on-ice production, Nash became the figure at the center of hockey in Columbus. For a young franchise still gaining traction as an NHL team, he was an early superstar and a willing ambassador for the sport. He helped grow the sport and brought relevance to a team devoid of much other talent. The current roster of Blue Jackets sports four players from Central Ohio: Sean Kuraly, Jack Roslovic, Carson Meyer … and Mike Sillinger’s son, Cole. While it’s likely that Cole would have still found a path in hockey, it’s hard to imagine any of the other three players mentioned here, playing in the NHL, without Rick Nash.
For his contributions on and off the ice, Nash is hockey in Columbus. And for these reasons, he is the best, and most important draft pick, in the young franchise’s history.