Columbus Blue Jackets Draft Luca Pinelli #114 Overall

With their second pick in the fourth round, the Jackets ventured into the CHL to select forward Luca Pinelli from the Ottawa 67s. Pinelli continued a trend of small, pesky forwards picked by the Jackets at this year’s draft; and like the two taken ahead of him, there is plenty of upside here.

Luca Pinelli burst onto the scene this year for the 67s, scoring 29 goals and 63 points in 67 OHL games. He more than doubled his goal totals from a year ago, and nearly doubled his points total as well, while proving to be a rising offensive star for his junior team.

Luca Pinelli, 5’9″, 170 pounds

Ottawa 67s (OHL)

4th round (#114 overall), 2023 NHL Draft

Playstyle comparisons: Yanni Gourde, Viktor Arvidsson

NHL upside: middle six two-way threat

Professional ETA: 2025 or 2026

Luca is the younger brother of LA Kings prospect Francesco Pinelli – who was picked in the second round (#42 overall) in 2021. Francesco was the captain of the Kitchener Rangers in each of the last two seasons, the latter of which saw him score 41 goals and 90 points in 60 games played. For what it’s worth, Luca seems to be producing at a higher rate than his big brother at the same age.

It’s hard to compare the two side by side since Francesco had to play overseas due to the COVID pandemic … but Luca just put up very comparable numbers as an 18 year old, to the ones Francesco posted as a 19 year old in the same league. Luca is a hard-working forward who loves to strip opposition players of the puck and can create quick chances in transition.

The word you’ll often hear when people talk about the younger Pinelli is “pesky” – and that’s the best descriptor I can come up with also. He plays the game in perpetual motion, constantly circling back and working his way into strong body position, which gives him an edge on the defensive side of the puck. With the puck on his own stick, he has smooth hands and a quick release, that should make him an effective threat even when shorthanded.

Luca will return to junior this year with the 67s, where he’ll look to establish himself as one of the most dangerous two-way players in the OHL. If he can produce at a higher rate this year, I have a feeling this is yet another player that people will look at and wonder how we were able to land him so low in the draft. This pick was acquired in the trade that sent Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Seattle Kraken, so we’ll certainly keep an eye on the development of this player. That said, I fully expect Luca to be a big time rising asset within the system.