After speculation leading up to the NHL Draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets kept and used the 3rd overall pick. The surprise: the player they picked. Nevermind the Big Three: it’s Pierre-Luc Dubois coming to the Jackets.
Dubois was a center and a winger with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the QMJHL. The forward finished as the top ranked North American skater in NHL’s Central Scouting rankings, jumping up from 7th at midterm. His potential ability as center made Dubois attractive to prospective NHL teams, and was apparently near the top of Columbus’ draft rankings all along.
#CBJ GM Jarmo Kekelainen says Dubois was "the guy we had third on our list." He tested market on dealing the No. 3 pick before keeping it.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 24, 2016
A Canadian, Dubois was the top point scorer on his team, finishing with 42 goals, and 57 assists in 62 games this past season. His performance is made all the more impressive in Garret Hohl’s SEAL-Adjusted Scoring metric (presented at Hockey Graphs). Dubois finished the top adjusted scorer among all CHL, NCAA, and USHL skaters.
We’ll have more on Dubois and the other 2016 picks in the days to come. For now, let’s welcome Pierre-Luc to Columbus!
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