Blue Jackets get no lottery luck, will draft 4th overall next month. Who will they pick?

There is one guy that I just keep circling back to in my head: Kelowna Rockets sniper Tij Iginla. The son of NHL Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla just keeps on scoring goals, wherever he goes.

Tij Iginla scored 47 in 64 WHL games this season. Then, he added 9 more in 11 playoff games, before scoring 6 in 7 games at the U-18s.

He's rising up the draft rankings rapidly, and while he doesn't seem to get media attention like other guys in this range, I have a hunch that this is due to everyone assuming he'll be a Calgary Flame. Maybe that hunch is correct.

But, it would not surprise me to see a team yank him off the board before Calgary's pick comes up at 9th overall. Why not the Blue Jackets, who could use this kind of skill and compete level in their own system?

Tij doesn't have the same physicality that we saw with Jarome, but he's got more skill. He's a true sniper, laying in the weeds and getting to the right spot just in time to fire his elite shot. And, though he isn't as physical as his old man, he's still a competitive warrior.

We need more compete level and goals in Columbus, for sure.

The 4th overall pick may be a touch high for Tij, but he is my dark horse for this year's draft. I just can't help but wonder what teams think of him. He's only gotten better and better as his draft year went on.

Whoever the Jackets pick, don't be surprised if we don't see them in the NHL for at least 1-2 years. Maybe longer. This isn't an Adam Fantilli type of draft, where the player we get here will step right into the league.

The teams who draft successfully this year, will do so in part because of their patience in development. That will be crucial for the new GM of the Jackets to understand.