Columbus Blue Jackets land a franchise-changing prospect in NHL Mock Draft 1.0
The Columbus Blue Jackets may still be struggling, but this NHL Mock Draft has them landing yet another potential franchise-changing player.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have the fourth pick in the NHL Draft, and it gives them a prime opportunity to add a talent that can form a legitimate one-two combo with future star Adam Fantilli within the next few seasons. Before an injury sidelined Fantilli for the year, he was enjoying an outstanding rookie season with 27 points and 12 goals in 49 games, and who knows what his final numbers would have looked like.
Look for him to come back strong and definitely motivated if this particular NHL Mock Draft simulator proves to be a reality by the end of June. Using the simulator via NHLEntryDraft.com, I managed to land a steal at fourth overall, and it could lead to the Blue Jackets building quite the core group of young players around Fantilli and this mystery player.
No guarantees, unfortunately, but at least Columbus can use this draft to put themselves in the best position possible to succeed in the near future. So, anyway, enough talking: Who did I land after simulating all seven rounds and only drafting for the Blue Jackets?
4th overall: Ivan Demidov, RW/Ska St. Petersburg
Oh yes, Ivan Demidov fell to the Blue Jackets in this exercise, and could you imagine just how sensational of a tandem he would one day make with Adam Fantilli? While there are many unknowns surrounding Demidov, what we do know is that the 18-year-old, though slightly undersized, is one of the best, if not the best points-producer in this draft class. And yes, I’m including Macklin Celebrini as opposed to saying something like, “The draft class minus Celebrini.”
In 47 combined regular season and playoff games this past season in the MHL, Demidov had 88 points, giving him a ridiculous 1.87 points per game. Of those 88 points, 34 found the back of the net, so the only question is what the encore performance in 2024-25 will entail?
Demidov’s size may cause an issue for some teams, but in this simulation, I wasn’t taking anyone else when I saw him fall to the No. 4 spot. In real life, it may be tough to see him slip past the Chicago Blackhawks, but there is a good chance they roll with Artyom Levshunov, arguably the top defenseman in this draft just one season after taking forward Connor Bedard.
69th overall: Will Skahan, D/Boston College
Unfortunately, a rebuilding team like the Blue Jackets have it tough this year, as they won’t get another draft pick until the third round. That being said, I spent the rest of this mock draft waiting for the best available players to fall to me, and Will Skahan was a surprise to have freefall into the third round.
Much like Demidov, it wasn’t a tough decision to snag the blueliner heading to Boston College for 2024-25. Skahan’s size is ultimately what could see him go in the middle of the second round, if I’m being honest, but his lack of production when his team has the puck could result in the freefall I saw in this exercise.
But stay-at-home defensemen are still ultra-valuable in all levels of hockey, so snagging someone like Skahan should pay off for the Blue Jackets in the long run. They will need to be patient with him, as he has NHL-caliber ability, but he should also take all four seasons at the NCAA level to maximize his development.
This shouldn’t be detrimental to the Blue Jackets or their fanbase, as there’s a good chance they will be in for a rather long rebuilding project. One led by Adam Fantilli, with perhaps Ivan Demidov joining, and one that allows players like Skahan to take full advantage of their collegiate eligibility.
86th overall: Ryerson Leenders, G/Mississauga Steelheads
Right now, the Blue Jackets must maximize organizational depth. One way to do that is to not only roll with the best players available in each round, but to hopefully land the best available at positions of need.
If there is any one position the Blue Jackets prospects pipeline can use, it’s at goaltender, with only Sergei Ivanov listed in its top 15 per The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, and he clocks in at No. 12. Therefore, I was excited to see the top player at 86th overall potentially remedy that problem with Ryerson Leenders.
While he can still use a lot of development, Leenders’ improvement from 2022-23 to 2023-24 also shows how quickly one can level up.
101st overall: Jack Berglund, C/Färjestad BK
Jack Berglund fell to me with the 101st pick, and thanks to the size he brings, plus putting up some remarkable numbers for his first full year in J20, it should foreshadow a successful 2024-25 campaign.
If he falls to Columbus, Berglund, like the previous two picks in this slideshow, is someone who can take his time developing with another pair of seasons in Sweden before making the jump to the AHL. With 34 points in 41 regular season games this year and a season of experience, Berglund’s breakout campaign with Farjestad awaits.
133rd overall: Gabriel Eliasson, D/HV71
If the Blue Jackets want to land a physically imposing blueliner with a later pick, there isn’t anyone better than Gabriel Eliassaon. Still just 17, and with a birthday in September, Eliasson stands at 6’6, 207 lbs, and who knows how much more he will grow over the next few seasons?
Like Will Skahan, don’t expect Eliasson to be a scorer, but he will bring physical play and an intimidation factor to the ice. This is the type of player who should thrive off of the North American game, and it won’t be long until he makes the trip. If the Blue Jackets land him in the later rounds, keep an eye on who would be a steal if he fell this far.
165th overall: Edvin Nilsson, D/HV71
To end this mock draft, I went with yet another blueliner, but this one carries a different build than Gabriel Eliasson. Edvin Nilsson is under six feet tall and 183 lbs, but he’s got two-way ability that will only continue to improve.
He, too, will get a head start on the North American game, so it won’t be long until he grows used to the style of play and performs at a high level in the US and Canada. He’s got the potential to put up a half-point per game in the early stages of his North American journey, and that could foreshadow something remarkable in time.
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(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)