Blue Jackets prospect profile, Alessandro Di Iorio is a diamond in the rough

With the Blue Jackets only making one selection in the first two rounds of this year's draft, a lot of the focus is on that pick: Oscar Hemming selected at #14 overall.

However, the Blue Jackets had a solid draft with a consistent theme: high floor and projectable value. Many of their later selections are who perhaps lack standout traits, but also don't have any glaring weaknesses.

Alessandro Di Iorio is perhaps the best example of the Blue Jackets' strategy entering this draft, as he has an emerging two-way game combined with leadership capability and an extremely underrated offensive game.

An injury limited his production and caused him to fall in the draft

Di Iorio played for the Sarnia Sting, who finished the regular season as the 16th team in the league standings out of the 20 teams in the OHL. They were the third-youngest team in the league as they focused on development and building for the future.

He only played in 45 games, as a lingering elbow injury sustained in a preseason game kept him out of the first third of the season and continued to persist when he did return, limiting some of his stick skills.

Di Iorio was drafted second overall by Sarnia in the 2024 OHL Draft after standing out in U16 play. Despite difficulties from his injury, he showed a lot of positive growth and maturity, being named the team's captain when he made his return to the lineup.

He scored 31 points in those 45 games, and that pace would have had him finish second on the team in scoring if he had played in all 68 games.

Although his limitations with his puck control were evident when watching him play, it was really the only area he struggled with, and it doesn't seem like it will be an issue long-term, assuming he can make a full recovery during the offseason.

The main trait that I would like to highlight in Di Iorio's game is his spatial awareness on both ends of the ice. Offensively, he is great at identifying space both for himself and his teammates, and knows when to attack and push for a goal and when to take care of the puck if his team is at a disadvantage.

This also shows up in his highlight reel, as his vision combined with some creativity with the puck creates some beautiful looks for his teammates, especially when working against tired defenders when his team has sustained zone time.

This great spacing also pays off in the defensive zone, as he is a great passive defender who can cover a lot of ground by cutting off passing lanes. He also is quick to cover for defenders who are behind the play, and is often the first player on the puck deep in the defensive zone.

With that being said, he still has quiet upside with his offense skill-wise, as he still had some flashy moments even with his limited range of motion when handling the puck. His best goal of the season came when he identified an open lane and attacked the defense with a sweet toe drag before ripping a shot that beat the goalie on the glove side.

Di Iorio will return to Sarnia for his third season in the OHL, and the 6'1, 195-pound center will look to put together a full season, where I think he will surprise a lot of people.

While I understand that any injury (and especially one that affected a player all season) can lead to a decrease in draft stock, I'm still surprised that he lasted almost until the fourth round. He has a high floor through his intelligence and well-rounded game, but I can see him having a high ceiling if his offense reaches its potential once he is fully healthy.

While I have ultimately talked a lot about his injury, I think it ended up being the story of his season, and we easily could've seen him go in the first two rounds if he was able to show his complete offensive package.

In fact, most scouting reports on Di Iorio point out that the reason he fell in their draft rankings is because he didn't make a big leap in terms of playmaking, which can again be attributed to his injury, which the same reports don't mention.

I don't bring this up to say that scouts were wrong or didn't do their research, but rather to point out that this isn't something that really got much attention and is likely the overlooked reason for his general underperformance this season, rather than a struggle skill-wise.

When you also consider that being on a weaker team made it even harder to produce points, it's hard not to think that he was passed over by many teams that saw an underwhelming stat sheet. Regardless, this is a pick that could already look like a great return on investment for Columbus as soon as next year.

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