As we wade into the top-five prospects for the Columbus Blue Jackets, I have to make one point clearly: all of these guys have big time star power. The five players below are a big part of the reason we should be excited for the direction of this team.
5 (NR) C Gavin Brindley 5’9″, 170 pounds. 2nd round (#34 overall), 2023 NHL Draft. Projection: middle-six two-way center. Scored 12 goals, 26 assists, 38 points for the University of Michigan (NCAA). Will return to Michigan this fall. Why we ranked him here: Gavin will be an NHL player, plain and simple – even though he’s undersized. He’s tenacious on the puck, physical, and then has the skill to be a quick strike player. At the very least, I think he’s a third line player at some point in the future – likely more.
Adam Fantilli to Gavin Brindley.
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) February 5, 2023
• Fantilli extends his point streak to 8 games and 18 points.
• Brindley extends his point streak to 7 games and 12 points.
The 2023 kids are alright. pic.twitter.com/H4b2Y7cKzk
4 (3) RW Jordan Dumais 5’9″, 175 pounds. 3rd round (#96 overall), 2022 NHL Draft. Projection: top-six scoring winger. Scored 54 goals, 86 assists, 140 points for Halifax (QMJHL). Will return to Halifax this fall. Why we ranked him here: Jordan is an elite thinker of the game. He gets to the dangerous areas quietly and strikes quickly; and can control the pace of the game with the puck on his stick. Not many players in the world have the kind of offensive skillset Dumais brings to the game.
3 (2) D Denton Mateychuk 5’11”, 190 pounds. 1st round (#12 overall), 2022 NHL Draft. Projection: top-four puck-moving defenseman. Scored 8 goals, 57 assists, 65 points for Moose Jaw (WHL). Will return to Moose Jaw this fall. Why we ranked him here: Denton is an elite skater and a one-man breakout. Look past his flat year over year productivity; he captained his team this season and worked hard to improve the other areas of his game. I think he’s a very safe bet to be a 15 year NHL player, a steady two-way defenseman who will rack up a lot of points in his career.
2 (1) D David Jiricek 6’3″, 210 pounds. 1st round (#6 overall), 2022 NHL Draft. Projection: top pairing defenseman, potential to be elite. Scored 6 goals, 32 assists, 38 points for Cleveland (AHL). Probably makes the Blue Jacket roster this fall. Why we ranked him here: David is arguably the top defense prospect in hockey right now. He checks every box: size, skating, physicality, IQ, and a near elite shot. He’ll be playing meaningful minutes in Columbus really soon.
1 (NR) C Adam Fantilli 6’2″, 195 pounds. 1st round (#3 overall), 2023 NHL Draft. Projection: elite first line center. Scored 30 goals, 35 assists, 65 points for the University of Michigan (NCAA) – winning the Hobey Baker award as the best player in college hockey. Will play for Columbus this fall. Why we ranked him here: Adam became the most highly touted prospect in Blue Jacket history, the moment his name was called. Which says a lot, because David Jiricek is turning out pretty good – like Jiricek, he checks all of the boxes: size, skill, work ethic, two-way presence. He will center one of this team’s top two lines this season, mark my words here. I think he has an inside chance at the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the league, once you factor in the talent this team will roll out alongside him. He’ll be a day one difference maker.