Prospect watch, Jackson Smith has made a smooth transition to the NCAA

After two standout seasons in the Western Hockey League, Blue Jackets first rounder Jackson Smith has made a smooth transition to the NCAA. He's been a terrific add for the Penn State Nitany Lions so far.

In two full seasons (plus six games as an underage player) with the Tri City Americans, Jackson scored 19 goals and 85 points in 136 regular season games played. These are very impressive numbers for any defenseman; but especially for a player who didn't even turn 18 until the very end of his last year there.

The WHL is a league I know very well. In fact, I've seen quite a few Americans games in their home barn in Kennewick. It's a league that has opened up over the years, but still one that is very difficult to produce in, especially as a young player.

With that said, making the transition to the NCAA is another huge step. This year, Jackson has gone from playing against 16 to 20 year olds; to playing in a league where he's again one of the youngest players.

Early indications are that the Blue Jackets got a crazy good steal with their #14 overall selection. Even as far back as the evening of the first round of the draft, I was really excited to see that they were able to get him.

Smith has all of the tools you would want in a young defenseman. He is creative, intelligent, has the big shot, and is one of the best skaters in the entire class. Add his 6'4", 200 pound frame to the mix, and it's very difficult to see any reason for him to fall outside of the top-10 in the draft.

We are thankful he did. In his first 8 games with Penn State, Jackson has 2 goals and 8 points, leading their blue line in scoring. This is no small feat. The Nitany Lions have a very good team this year, currently ranked #3 in the nation.

You can see Jackson's poise and patience stand out on this play; as well as his intelligence. Look at where he goes after he distributes the puck. He didn't pick up a point here, so he doesn't even really get credit:

For comparison, in his own post-draft season with the University of Michigan (2015-16), 18-year old Zach Werenski scored 11 goals and 36 points in 36 games. Smith is producing at a very comparable pace at the same level.

He will need to improve in his overall game, but with his package of raw talent, size, and his skating ability, he is quickly becoming one of the top defense prospects in all of hockey.

The new NHL CBA has made player development much easier.

For the Blue Jackets, the new CHL/NCAA player transfer agreement could not have come at a better time. At just 18 years old, Jackson would have been required to spend this season and another full year in the WHL, unless he made the NHL roster at any point.

GM Don Waddell has made it clear that he won't rush his prospects into the NHL. This is a particularly sound strategy with a young defenseman. There are a lot of little nuances they need to learn before being thrown to the wolves.

Often, a little extra seasoning can make all the difference in the world. We saw this last year with Denton Mateychuk, who spent the first half of his year in the AHL before coming into the Blue Jackets lineup with confidence.

There will also be a new rule coming into play next year: each team can designate one 19 year old to play in the AHL. So, Waddell and the CBJ brass have a few different paths they can take with his development plan.

Instead of feeling any pressure to bring him into the NHL, they could return him to Penn State, or even send him to the Cleveland Monsters to continue his development.

Smith will be able to speak for his preference as well. After all, who wouldn't want to enjoy one more year of college rather than driving around the country on a minor league hockey team's bus?

Almost forgot: about that big shot. Check out this highlight...

While the Blue Jackets wait for their competitive window to open, seeing this guy in the system is proof that their prospect pool is still very good, and very underrated.