The Columbus Blue Jackets went heavy on defensemen at the 2024 NHL Draft, with four of their six picks being blue liners. Of those four, three were tall right-hand shooters, evidence that there is an organizational need for right side defensemen. One of those players - Luca Marrelli - is quietly pushing his stock to higher levels early in this season.
Marrelli was the fourth player picked by the Jackets at the draft; taken in the third round (#86 overall). This was essentially right where he was rated by most scouting services, though maybe he was a slight bit of a steal from that perspective.
As a late birthday, he had the benefit of playing his 18 year old season before being draft eligible. As any top prospect should, he put up pretty strong numbers for the Oshawa Generals (Ontario Hockey League) last season; scoring 6 goals and 57 points in 67 games.
Marrelli's game is an easy one to like. He's an active defenseman who loves to jump into the play offensively, and he does so with a variety of dangerous traits. He's a really good skater, solid puck handler, can dish out dangerous passes, and has a shot that can score from anywhere in the offensive zone. In the clip below, he jumps into the play and gets denied - only to do it again and score just seconds later.
AND STILLL, YOUR LEADING DEFENCEMAN IN OHL GOALS... LUCA MARRRRELLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIđŸ“£#OSHvsPBO | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/yAlfWEBWOY
— Oshawa Generals (@Oshawa_Generals) October 19, 2024
Touted as a player who was too selfless, Marrelli has found his shooting confidence this year. Through 11 games, his 6 goals leads all OHL blue liners; while his 11 points are tied for second in the league at the position. It helps that the Generals have a strong team this year, but he's definitely been a big part of that early success.
Better news for Blue Jackets fans, he's no slouch defensively, either. Sure, there are some rough edges here and he'll have to weed out the odd mistake. That's true with any young defenseman. But, on both sides of the puck, he's a cerebral player that understands the situations he's in and typically makes the correct play.
When he does make the occasional mistake, he's able to lean on his skating and size to work his way back into the battle. From an overall perspective, he reminds me of a player I watched many years ago: Cody Franson. Like Marrelli, Franson was a big, right-shot third round pick who played for a strong junior team. He would eventually go on to play in 550 NHL games.
If Marrelli can take that development path and become that kind of NHL player for this organization, the Blue Jackets will be really happy with their fourth selection in the 2024 Draft. Early indications: they might already be really happy.