Ohio Jones
Game on...
After gutting the farm in an effort to capitalize on what Jackets fans are calling “the Hedman window”, we needed to restock. One problem: we gutted our draft picks too (three consecutive years without a day 1 selection, from 2021 to 23).
With teams more dependent than ever on producing a steady stream of young, affordable players we’ve had to diversify this summer, turning to late round selections, trades and free agency to give the farm a much-needed infusion of youth.
So here is our (mostly non-draft) “Draft” results for summer 2022.
TRADES
Signing Phil Kessel enabled us to move Anthony Beauvillier to Detroit in a package with Jacob Bryson to pick up a pair of 2021 draftees:
RW Oskar Olausson, 19
Power forward offers a great package of size, speed and skill at both ends of the ice. The question for him remains his consistency - some shifts he’s a bulldog, others he disappears. He split time this season between Barrie and Oshawa, his brief OHL career ending with a disappointing appearance in the Generals’ playoffs, raising further questions. He’ll join the Colorado Eagles this year - but. It before we get a chance to see if his consistency and intensity have improved when the World Juniors resume this month - Olausson will see time on Sweden’s top line and first PP unit. Clearly a gamble in terms of his NHL future, but a gamble with a huge potential payoff.
LD William Trudeau, 19
Described as “high floor, low ceiling”, almost everything Trudeau brings is above average, even if there’s no single standout asset. Skates well in four directions, accelerates through crossovers, sees the ice well, dishes and receives smoothly at speed, consistently makes the smart play in all three zones. Had a superb season driving the play in Charlottetown for a deep playoff run. Not exciting, perhaps, but he’s smart, mobile and dependable, and we’re betting Montreal will need that.
Meanwhile, a favourable rating on depth defender Jacob Megna allowed us to collect a fourth round pick from Montreal, along with…
C Kirill Tankov, 20
A late round selection of Pittsburgh (NHL) in 2021, Tankov has a long frame, good feet, an attacker’s mindset and the mitts and vision to get creative. He’s a long-term project, but the upside is intriguing - especially with our system thin at the pivot position.
UDFAs
The lottery balls fell in Columbus’ favour this year. While we missed out on the most highly touted prospects, we found steady success with some longer-term projects. Hopefully a couple of these will end up as NHL assets in the next few years.
C/RW Adam Klapka, 21
A monster of a project, clocking in at 6’8”, 245 lbs (that’s almost as big as our Washington GM!). Played a couple of seasons in the USHL before returning to Czechia, where he managed decent points as a rookie in the top circuit. Boasts surprisingly good skating, vision and hockey sense. Showed well at the recent Flames prospect camp. We’ll see whether he can carve out a future as a 4th line shift disturber and menace to opposing teams - or possibly a little bit more.
RW Avery Hayes, 20
Welcome addition with RW being thin in our system. Fresh off an OHL Championship in which he put up 14 goals and 34 points in just 16 games. Tantalizing package of skill and determination (and grace, too…). Played in Slovakia during the lockdown before returning to Hamilton this year, and the experience seems to have accelerated his development. Some hack named Brock Otten singled out Hayes’ combination of skating, shot and fearlessness, calling him a volume shooter who can play through traffic. At 5-10/175 he’ll need to continue adding strength, and also working on his decision-making to maximize his potential, but he’s a tempting lottery ticket if he puts it all together.
C/LW Tye Kartye, 21
Solid-bodied scorer is a late bloomer who contributes on both special teams and has the hockey smarts to handle the demands of the bumper role in 1-3-1 PP schemes. An undrafted camp invite of the Kraken last summer, he showed well and used it as a springboard to a solid overage season in the Soo. With the Kraken desperate for goal scoring, they brought him back and should show patience as he continues to develop.
LD Nick Cicek, 22
Big and mobile, plays an honest game with bottom pairing upside. Undrafted and earned an NHL deal after adapting quickly to the AHL with the Sharks’ affiliate, where he contributed on both sides of the puck. The Sharks have a deep pool of young blueliners so his path to an NHL opportunity is unclear, but he seems willing to put in the time.
RD Simon Johansson, 23
Thin reed of a guy is a slick puck distributor, especially with the man advantage, mobile enough to create openings and smart enough to take advantage of them to get the puck to guys in prime shooting lanes. Defensive game is coming along, but will never be his calling card. Production exploded this year when he moved to Ilves, where his usage was much more tailored to his strengths. May find an opportunity in Minny - as they head into years of cap hell, they’ll need cheap options throughout the lineup.
G Spencer Martin, 27
After moving Keith Petruzzelli and Filip Lindberg out at the trade deadline, and then walking away from Greiss, Lankinen and Desrosiers in free agency, the Blue Jackets wanted to replenish the goaltending stores and increase their chances of developing the next star at the position. Enter late bloomer Martin, who has proven he will do the work to earn his shot. Good frame, improving technique led to him getting a trial at the NHL level last season when Vancouver was going through injury troubles. All he did with the opportunity was post a .950 save% and a 3-0-3 record across six appearances. Will back up Thatcher Demko in Vancouver this year.
G Ivan Fedotov, 25
Our second 6’ 8” prospect signed this summer (and don’t forget 6’ 7” Taige Harding last year - can you say Monstars?!)), Fedotov was on track to be the Flyers’ backup goalie before allegedly running afoul of Russia’s military service policies. This despite the behemoth backstopping the OAR’s silver medal Olympic performance, as well as leading CSKA Moscow to the Gagarin Cup with a 2.00 gaa as the best goalie in the KHL. Hopefully his military service issues get resolved, because he has - pardon the pun - massive upside.
G Clay Stevenson, 23
Looking small by comparison at only 6’ 4”, this BCHL product had just one season in Dartmouth thanks to COVID, earning a spot on the ECAC all-rookie team and third all-star team. Offers great athleticism and lateral agility for a big man, reads the play well and is highly competitive. Joined a shallow pool of netminders in the Caps’ system because he saw an opportunity to advance quickly.
THE DRAFT
We weren’t completely shut out of this summer’s draft - we had two picks! And while they came in the sixth and seventh rounds, I like what we did with them.
LW Raivis Ansons, 20, 6/166 2022
Chippy Latvian winger was a point-per-game player for St. John in the Q en route to winning the Memorial Cup. Gritty north-south winger drives to the net, invites contact, hustles and wins in the corners. Brings consistent effort. 2020 5th rounder of the NHL Pens.
C Jere Lassila, 7/195 2022
Captain of Finland’s U18 team has produced at every level and plays a smart two-way game. A bit undersized which clearly worked against him as he was overlooked in the NHL draft. Might end up a tweener/Euro star, but might yet develop into a useable ‘Finnish Army Knife’ as he skates well, sees the ice well and plays above his size. Lots of time.
——-
I think we’re still solidly in the bottom half of the league in terms of farm systems, but hopefully these efforts manage to move us up a few rungs. The order is anyone’s guess, and there are guys in 11-20 who might well take one of the spots 8-10 ahead of the guys listed, but generally our top 10 now looks something like this:
With teams more dependent than ever on producing a steady stream of young, affordable players we’ve had to diversify this summer, turning to late round selections, trades and free agency to give the farm a much-needed infusion of youth.
So here is our (mostly non-draft) “Draft” results for summer 2022.
TRADES
Signing Phil Kessel enabled us to move Anthony Beauvillier to Detroit in a package with Jacob Bryson to pick up a pair of 2021 draftees:
RW Oskar Olausson, 19
Power forward offers a great package of size, speed and skill at both ends of the ice. The question for him remains his consistency - some shifts he’s a bulldog, others he disappears. He split time this season between Barrie and Oshawa, his brief OHL career ending with a disappointing appearance in the Generals’ playoffs, raising further questions. He’ll join the Colorado Eagles this year - but. It before we get a chance to see if his consistency and intensity have improved when the World Juniors resume this month - Olausson will see time on Sweden’s top line and first PP unit. Clearly a gamble in terms of his NHL future, but a gamble with a huge potential payoff.
LD William Trudeau, 19
Described as “high floor, low ceiling”, almost everything Trudeau brings is above average, even if there’s no single standout asset. Skates well in four directions, accelerates through crossovers, sees the ice well, dishes and receives smoothly at speed, consistently makes the smart play in all three zones. Had a superb season driving the play in Charlottetown for a deep playoff run. Not exciting, perhaps, but he’s smart, mobile and dependable, and we’re betting Montreal will need that.
Meanwhile, a favourable rating on depth defender Jacob Megna allowed us to collect a fourth round pick from Montreal, along with…
C Kirill Tankov, 20
A late round selection of Pittsburgh (NHL) in 2021, Tankov has a long frame, good feet, an attacker’s mindset and the mitts and vision to get creative. He’s a long-term project, but the upside is intriguing - especially with our system thin at the pivot position.
UDFAs
The lottery balls fell in Columbus’ favour this year. While we missed out on the most highly touted prospects, we found steady success with some longer-term projects. Hopefully a couple of these will end up as NHL assets in the next few years.
C/RW Adam Klapka, 21
A monster of a project, clocking in at 6’8”, 245 lbs (that’s almost as big as our Washington GM!). Played a couple of seasons in the USHL before returning to Czechia, where he managed decent points as a rookie in the top circuit. Boasts surprisingly good skating, vision and hockey sense. Showed well at the recent Flames prospect camp. We’ll see whether he can carve out a future as a 4th line shift disturber and menace to opposing teams - or possibly a little bit more.
RW Avery Hayes, 20
Welcome addition with RW being thin in our system. Fresh off an OHL Championship in which he put up 14 goals and 34 points in just 16 games. Tantalizing package of skill and determination (and grace, too…). Played in Slovakia during the lockdown before returning to Hamilton this year, and the experience seems to have accelerated his development. Some hack named Brock Otten singled out Hayes’ combination of skating, shot and fearlessness, calling him a volume shooter who can play through traffic. At 5-10/175 he’ll need to continue adding strength, and also working on his decision-making to maximize his potential, but he’s a tempting lottery ticket if he puts it all together.
C/LW Tye Kartye, 21
Solid-bodied scorer is a late bloomer who contributes on both special teams and has the hockey smarts to handle the demands of the bumper role in 1-3-1 PP schemes. An undrafted camp invite of the Kraken last summer, he showed well and used it as a springboard to a solid overage season in the Soo. With the Kraken desperate for goal scoring, they brought him back and should show patience as he continues to develop.
LD Nick Cicek, 22
Big and mobile, plays an honest game with bottom pairing upside. Undrafted and earned an NHL deal after adapting quickly to the AHL with the Sharks’ affiliate, where he contributed on both sides of the puck. The Sharks have a deep pool of young blueliners so his path to an NHL opportunity is unclear, but he seems willing to put in the time.
RD Simon Johansson, 23
Thin reed of a guy is a slick puck distributor, especially with the man advantage, mobile enough to create openings and smart enough to take advantage of them to get the puck to guys in prime shooting lanes. Defensive game is coming along, but will never be his calling card. Production exploded this year when he moved to Ilves, where his usage was much more tailored to his strengths. May find an opportunity in Minny - as they head into years of cap hell, they’ll need cheap options throughout the lineup.
G Spencer Martin, 27
After moving Keith Petruzzelli and Filip Lindberg out at the trade deadline, and then walking away from Greiss, Lankinen and Desrosiers in free agency, the Blue Jackets wanted to replenish the goaltending stores and increase their chances of developing the next star at the position. Enter late bloomer Martin, who has proven he will do the work to earn his shot. Good frame, improving technique led to him getting a trial at the NHL level last season when Vancouver was going through injury troubles. All he did with the opportunity was post a .950 save% and a 3-0-3 record across six appearances. Will back up Thatcher Demko in Vancouver this year.
G Ivan Fedotov, 25
Our second 6’ 8” prospect signed this summer (and don’t forget 6’ 7” Taige Harding last year - can you say Monstars?!)), Fedotov was on track to be the Flyers’ backup goalie before allegedly running afoul of Russia’s military service policies. This despite the behemoth backstopping the OAR’s silver medal Olympic performance, as well as leading CSKA Moscow to the Gagarin Cup with a 2.00 gaa as the best goalie in the KHL. Hopefully his military service issues get resolved, because he has - pardon the pun - massive upside.
G Clay Stevenson, 23
Looking small by comparison at only 6’ 4”, this BCHL product had just one season in Dartmouth thanks to COVID, earning a spot on the ECAC all-rookie team and third all-star team. Offers great athleticism and lateral agility for a big man, reads the play well and is highly competitive. Joined a shallow pool of netminders in the Caps’ system because he saw an opportunity to advance quickly.
THE DRAFT
We weren’t completely shut out of this summer’s draft - we had two picks! And while they came in the sixth and seventh rounds, I like what we did with them.
LW Raivis Ansons, 20, 6/166 2022
Chippy Latvian winger was a point-per-game player for St. John in the Q en route to winning the Memorial Cup. Gritty north-south winger drives to the net, invites contact, hustles and wins in the corners. Brings consistent effort. 2020 5th rounder of the NHL Pens.
C Jere Lassila, 7/195 2022
Captain of Finland’s U18 team has produced at every level and plays a smart two-way game. A bit undersized which clearly worked against him as he was overlooked in the NHL draft. Might end up a tweener/Euro star, but might yet develop into a useable ‘Finnish Army Knife’ as he skates well, sees the ice well and plays above his size. Lots of time.
——-
I think we’re still solidly in the bottom half of the league in terms of farm systems, but hopefully these efforts manage to move us up a few rungs. The order is anyone’s guess, and there are guys in 11-20 who might well take one of the spots 8-10 ahead of the guys listed, but generally our top 10 now looks something like this:
- C/RW Kirill Marchenko (3/68 2018)
- LW Jake Neighbours (2/42 2020)
- RD Braden Schneider (1/20 2020)
- G Lukas Dostal (3/71 2018)
- RW Oskar Olausson (Trade 2022)
- LW Will Cuylle (3/69 2020)
- C/LW Adam Beckman (3/75 2019)
- G Ivan Fedotov (FA 2022)
- C/RW Kole Lind (2/50 2017)
- RD Jett Woo (1/29 2018)
, the Blue Jackets have sent recently acquired Oskar Olausson packing to Detroit in return for Arthur Kaliyev, in a rare straight hockey trade.
