Today, we're breaking down prospects ranked 1-10 within the Columbus Blue Jackets system. In case you've missed the rest of our coverage, you can catch #11-20 here; and our honorable mentions here. We'll be counting down from 10 and revealing our top prospect on the last page.
Top prospect list notes:
This list was compiled by a collective ranking from all of the writers at Union and Blue. We only include players 24 years and under, with fewer than 25 NHL games. Previous rankings are the number in parenthesis (HM = honorable mention; NR = not ranked). Stats are from the previous season, in the league where each player spent the most time. Projections are based on top-end upside. Note at the end is where each player will spend their 2024-25 season.
We had a tie in our voting for 10th place on this list, with William Whitelaw and Jet Greaves. Greaves takes the higher ranking because he had the highest individual vote.
10. (13) G Jet Greaves 6’0″, 179 pounds. Undrafted, signed as a free agent summer 2021. Projection: backup goaltender. Stats: .910% save percentage, 2.93GAA, 30-12-4 record. 46gp for Cleveland (AHL). Will return to the Monsters next season. How we ranked him: Curtis (12) Matt (11) Mike (9)
Why we ranked him here: While I'm still not sure if Jet Greaves will become a true starting goaltender in the NHL, he just continues to prove everyone wrong. This season, he was an AHL All-Star, finishing tied for second in the league in wins with Yaroslav Askarov - who is widely considered the top goaltending prospect in hockey.
Jet is a really easy guy to root for. He's undrafted, undersized, and he has one of the coolest names in hockey. All he's done is improve steadily, year over year, since joining the organization. I think he's ready for more NHL time this season, to see what he can really turn into. Who knows? Maybe he'll prove me wrong and win the starting job with the Jackets.