Drafting is important.
In the second round, the Jackets again went for size and physicality, picking defenseman Charlie Elick from the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. Opting for a very raw, strictly stay-at-home defenseman is fine. But this early in the second round?
Elick spent the next 2-years getting absolutely caved in at the junior level, scoring a *combined* 36 points in 129 games. He's currently playing with the Cleveland Monsters, and similar to the player above, the hope here is that he can be a bottom of the lineup support piece at some point down the road.
We ranked Elick as the 13th-best prospect in the organization this summer. Worth mentioning: the player picked 7 spots later has 5 goals and 12 points in 17 games to start this season with the Washington Capitals. He's also a defenseman.
The rest of the 2024 Draft class for the Blue Jackets looks relatively dull as a whole. The gem of the entire thing might be Luca Marrelli, taken 86th overall. The defenseman has a knack for putting up big numbers, but his all-around game leaves a lot to desire.
And, that lack of defensive zone presence is probably going to prevent him from cracking the CBJ lineup any time soon, anyway. At least under this management. Probably would have been an issue if they'd picked that other guy instead of Elick, too.
The 2025 and 2026 classes have mostly low ceilings.
The last two years, the Blue Jackets have just missed out on a playoff spot. As a result, they aren't picking until the middle of the first round, at the very earliest. At best, you're hoping to land players with one or two glaring weaknesses that you can help them correct; then capitalize on the things they do well to get NHL talent.
In 2025, they had two first rounders: their own was used to select defenseman Jackson Smith, who was paired with Elick while playing for the WHL's Tri City Americans. We ranked him as the #1 prospect in the system over the summer, but allow me to temper your expectations: at his very highest end, I see him as a potential #2 defenseman for a contending NHL team.
He's not likely going to become the kind of elite puck mover this team has in Zach Werenski. Their second pick in that round was Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov, a player that I believe has the highest ceiling of any player in the system. Unfortunately, we won't get to find out how high that ceiling is for at least four more years.
That pick was acquired in the David Jiricek trade, so perhaps more than any other; they need it to pan out. As it stands, however, they essentially pawned a #6 overall pick off for a player they cannot have until 8 years after they originally held the pick. Yikes.
The rest of this draft class is, well, boring. Owen Griffin is showing potential by lighting up the OHL this season, but as a 19-year-old, that's what he should be doing. Finally, Jeremy Loranger was taken in the 7th round, but again I wonder: is there room on a Don Waddell-led team for a 5'9", 160 pound guy?
Obviously, it's too early to grade the 2026 Draft, but as someone who spent a lot of years watching prospects and in the scouting circles; allow me to tell you: there isn't a whole lot to get overly excited about here.
Oscar Hemming was the first round pick, and he feels like decent value at #14 overall. He's big, he can shoot, and there is a lot to like about his game. But, sorry to say this, I simply do not see him developing into a first line player. I think he could be a second line guy if a lot of things go right. Not the kind of ceiling you want out of your first rounder, especially after missing the playoffs for six years running.
They didn't pick again this summer until late in the third round. I like the value of their depth picks in this draft as well, but as you would expect from picks later in the draft: they are all pretty low ceiling guys. Lots of third and fourth line potential here.
On the final slide, we're going to talk about the real issue the Blue Jackets have right now.
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