Blue Jackets Make 7 Picks at the 2022 NHL Draft

The Columbus Blue Jackets made seven selections at the 2022 NHL Draft this week, kicking off with a couple of impressive defensemen. The team addressed its prospect depth at every position, including adding a player with great size in the fourth round. They found a potential NHL pivot in round two, added some skill in round three, and even drafted a goaltender out of Russia. Here’s a quick rundown of each pick:

Round 1, #6 overall – D David Jiricek, 6-3, 190 pounds, Plzen (CZE)

Round 1, #12 overall – D Denton Mateychuk, 5-11, 195 pounds, Moose Jaw (WHL)

Round 2, #44 overall – C Luca del bel Belluz, 6-1, 180 pounds, Mississauga (OHL)

Round 3, #96 overall – RW Jordan Dumais, 5-9, 165 pounds, Halifax (QMJHL)

Round 4, #109 overall – RW Kirill Dolzhenkov, 6-6, 235 pounds, CSKA Moscow (RUS)

Round 5, #138 overall – G Sergei Ivanov, 5-11, 165 pounds, SKA St Petersburg (RUS)

Round 7, #203 overall – F James Fisher, 6-2, 195 pounds, Belmont HS (MA-HS)

Early reaction to this draft for me is, very exciting. Similar to their very successful 2021 class, I think the Blue Jackets did a terrific job finding value in each round. I can single out every pick for a different reason, and could see each of these guys playing professional hockey. Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff have done a terrific job building a talented, balanced prospect pool, and the future is bright.

We will kick off a player profile series highlighting each pick, beginning later this afternoon with David Jiricek. We’ll highlight each player over the next few days, and then we’ll re-rank the team’s top-20 prospects. Hint: several names on this list are going to be on there.

We’ll also be looking ahead to NHL free agency, which kicks off on July 13. Stay tuned!