I hope you enjoyed part one of our draft preview, the next group of players we evaluated would be considered reaches due to their positioning but I love two for their speed and versatility. Meanwhile I am not so keen on another who many believe is a great fit in the Blue Jackets organization.
Josh Ho-Sang #20
Center/Right Wing 5’11 165 lbs
Seemingly, Kerby Rychel has been a line mate of almost everyone in the OHL but it just so happens that he plays with great players who help elevate his game. Josh Ho-Sang is one of those players. Josh Ho-Sang has been perceived as a player with some character issues but in reality when you are an 18 yr old kid I don’t really see how anyone can make a true judgment of character on someone at such a young age. He has been apart of two suspensions for two different reasons, one that merited a suspension and the other just an odd hockey play that seemed to be more about poor luck. With the aforementioned plays around him, a black cloud seemed to follow Ho-Sang, who many had in the top ten in many mock drafts last year. Out of the first round players I don’t believe that I have seen anyone who skates as fast as Ho-Sang. His play is very reminiscent of a right handed shooting Patrick Kane. Plays seem to happen when he is on the ice and is always in the right place in the right time, it’s a skill that can’t be taught.
According to Pronman’s rankings, he has Ho-Sang as the twentieth best player in this year’s draft which may be a slight reach at the current Blue Jacket draft position. The feeling I gather from him is that he will slide even further and a team who is already loaded will have this gem fall into their lap and look like the smartest team in the coming years. In my opinion he is a risk worth taking especially when your pipeline is seemingly as stacked as the Blue Jackets is.
Dylan Larkin #26
Left Wing/Center 6’0 192 lbs
The common thread from many in the CBJ community is that Dylan Larkin will be a good fit for the organization and will fill a significant need for them. While I believe a winger is needed in this draft I don’t think Dylan Larkin is that fit. Earlier I had talked about how Sonny Milano may have been benefitting from playing with Jack Eichel, I truly believe Larkin is playing with teammates that are better than him and isn’t of the same quality as his teammates. He isn’t terribly fast and he isn’t terribly big for a player that predicates his play with such a physical game. His game translates much better into a bottom six role than anything else which I don’t believe in the middle of the first round should be the Blue Jackets end goal. The higher the ceiling the better value gained.
Julius Honka #29
Defenseman 5’11 172lbs
Honka is an undersized defenseman who is fast and very very elusive. While I don’t believe he fits the mold that the Blue Jackets are trying to make, I do believe he could add a lot to their core. Currently paired with CBJ draftee Dillion Heatherington in the Swift Current Broncos organization, he is the yin to his yang. Dillion, while being more of a stay at home defenseman who has a big slap shot, Julius is more about roving around the offensive zone and using his recovery speed to get back into position. I don’t think he could be a top pairing guy but I believe he could pair well with Jack Johnson. They can cover one another’s butts when out of position something that is needed to allow JJ play his game. You can never have enough puck movers on defense something the NHL is starting to catch onto and it doesn’t hurt that he has the Finnish connection to Jarmo.
If you have any questions in regards to other prospects feel free to send emails to [email protected] and we will gladly answer it in a post. This ends our draft previews for this year but later on this off season we will be doing prospect profiles shortly after the players are selected this June. Stay tuned!
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