The Columbus Blue Jackets made six selections at the 2025 NHL Draft. As the team looked to build up their prospect pool, they stuck to a trend that began last year; drafting some big, mobile defensemen.
They also added some talented (albeit undersized) forwards, and one promising goaltender. How did they do overall? Let's take a look.
First round, #14 overall: D Jackson Smith (Tri City, WHL - committed to Penn State University for 2025-26) 6'4", 200lbs
One of the things we've learned about Don Waddell: he likes to deploy a big, mobile defense corps. Jackson Smith certainly fits the bill, checking in at 6'4" and nearly 200 pounds. He's one of the best skaters in the entire class, and he brings some serious offensive acumen as well; with a big shot from the point. Last season, he scored 11 goals and 54 points in 68 WHL games. But, he's also no slouch defensively; drawing comparisons to Thomas Harley from the draft analysts. The Jackets surely had plenty of viewings on him, as he was a teammate of 2024 second round pick Charlie Elick.
Next year, he'll play at the NCAA for the Penn State Nittany Lions, so they will be able to see him closer to his new home. Playing against older young men at a higher level should give us a better gauge on his development, and his NHL ETA. Grade: A+. I thought Smith was the second best defenseman in the draft, and I cannot believe he fell to the Jackets. Huge win, in my opinion.
First round, #20 overall: G Pyotr Andreyanov (CSKA Moscow Jr, RUS) 6'2", 205lbs
As everyone predicted, the Jackets used the second of their first round picks on a goaltender. But, not the one everyone expected them to take. Instead of taking the consensus first rounder, they surprised everyone by selecting Pyotr Andreyanov from the CSKA program in Russia. And, while I get the skepticism, I love this move. This guy dominated the Russian junior league this season, with a 23-6-6 record on the back of a .942% save percentage, 1.75GAA and 3 shutouts.
While the MHL doesn't stack up to the CHL (North American juniors), it's still a very good league and it's rare to see a guy put up these kind of numbers. Andreyanov is an aggressive goaltender who likes to challenge shooters and use his athleticism to keep pucks out of the net. He's drawn comparisons to Sergei Bobrovsky, which should sound pretty good to Jacket fans. I definitely think he was the right goaltender to take a shot on in this range of the draft. No offense to the other guy. Grade: B. The only reason I don't give an "A" grade here is because I feel like the Jackets could have traded back a few spots and added draft capital, while still getting this player. That said, I absolutely love the prospect, so it's not a loss.
Third round, #76 overall: D Malte Vass (Farjestad J20, SWE) 6'2", 195lbs
The Jackets traded their fourth round pick (#109) this year, along with a fourth round pick next year, to move up into the third round and select Swedish defenseman Malte Vass. Apparently, they had Vass inside of their top-14 coming into the draft, so they feel like they found money here. I'm not as high on him.
Vass is a big guy who can really skate. And, he's a defense-first type of defenseman, which is exactly what this team needs. He's good in his gap control and isn't afraid to play a physical style of defense. But, with all of that said, there isn't much in the way of offense here; evidenced by his 2 goals and 11 points in 40 Swedish junior games. At his peak, I think he's a #4/5 stay at home defenseman; if they can hone his overall game in. At this range of the draft, I think he's a good guy to trade some later picks for and take a flyer on. Grade: B+. He's a project, but so is everyone else taken in the third round. Just don't expect him to score goals.
We'll grade out the last three picks the Jackets made on the next slide.