Greetings, all! The draft is nearing and it’s time to start thinking about who are likely targets for the Blue Jackets. If you were to rank the Jackets prospect depth by group it’d be forwards leading the charge followed by goalies and dragging slowly behind is defensemen. At the moment, the Jackets have just three defensemen playing in the CHL (one is signed and off to Springfield next year) and three playing in Springfield. And then there’s the elephant in the room – Mike Reilly.
I’m basing this post on the…sigh, expected result that Reilly won’t sign with the CBJ. I know an article came out with Mike making it sound like he wants to finish school but I don’t believe that, (it’s Minnesota, not Harvard). But no matter what Mike does, my opinion doesn’t change about the draft focus. Let’s take a look at what the Jackets currently have.
The three Dmen in the CHL are: the off to Springfield next season Dillon Heatherington, Blake Siebenaler and Olivier LeBlanc. a Dman who’s worn a letter on his chest the last two seasons on two seperate teams.
Already in Springfield you have Austin Madaisky who is currently out with an injury, Will Weber and Thomas Larkin. The only other option on D in Springfield is Frederic St Denis but I don’t consider him a prospect, he’s simply depth.
Madaisky had a breakout season this year and could get a long look in camp. Weber was one of the final cuts last year but has battled injuries this and Larkin has set career highs this season but that’s likely due to him sticking in one place for an entire season for the first season ever. St Denis is a UFA and is probably gone.
As for the draft, I’m not saying pull a 2012 Islanders and only draft defensemen. Currently, according to the NHL draft lottery simulator (my favorite time waster) the CBJ can only select first (6.0% chance) eighth (if a team ahead of them win the lottery) or ninth (if a team behind them wins it). Now, should the Jackets win the first, they should take their pick of McEichel. Those of you saying trade the pick go sit in the corner.
My top choice might be gone at eight, but currently my top player of the ones the CBJ actually could pick is Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Ivan Provorov. Provorov led all WHL rookies in scoring and was the first dman to do that since…Kevin Connauton of the Vancouver Giants in 2009-10 (name sounds familiar doesn’t it?). After Provorov, the next best dman among draft eligible NCAA defensemen is Michigan’s Zack Werenski. Werenski was second among draft eligible dmen in scoring while leading all defensemen in goals with nine. Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is a big “best player available” guy so I could be completely wrong and we still choose a forward with our first round pick.
As for the Jackets many second round picks, one possibility is Swede Oliver Kylington who’s been playing in the SHL since he was 16 but has fallen in the rankings for some reason. Another second round option is Blake Siebenaler’s teammate Vince Dunn who just had a four goal game in the playoffs. Peter Quenneville’s teammate Ryan Pilon (pronounced Pee-lon, save your pylon jokes) is a strong two-way Dman who’s good in all three zones.
There you have it folks another one of my draft rants that’ll probably not come to be but as we turn to the offseason, time to start thinking about what this team will do in the off-season.
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