Ohio Jones
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Columbus' draft lacks lustre
Assembling the roster that took Columbus deep into the Conference finals this year came at a price, and the farm bore the brunt of it. That trend continues, as the Jackets entered this draft with no first round pick - again - and just a handful of picks overall.
We explored a number of options to move up in the draft, but nothing worthwhile materialized.
2/39
We had a few key guys in mind for this pick, and by the time the 39th rolled around, it was down to Valeri Kamemev and Justin Kirkland. But Calgary was hot for Kirkland, and offered a package of picks Columbus simply couldn't turn down, so this pick turned into CGY 2nd and 4th in 2015 and CGY 3rd in 2016. With Calgary unlikely to repeat their cinderella season and the 2015 draft looking rich, the potential for more and better assets long-term offers greater hope for restocking the ravaged farm system. A bitter pill to swallow, though, as Kirkland and especially Kamenev look like legit players.
Calgary took Kirkland, and the Jackets immediately hit the phones in an effort to trade up to select Kamenev, finally finding a taker in the Isles for the 49th pick, but the conditional deal evaporated when Winnipeg finally selected the steady Russian at 48.
No other trades materialized, so the Jackets' first selection of the 2014 HFNHL Entry Draft came late on day one. And with all four of their picks clustered within 40 positions, the Jackets' draft was finished almost as soon as it began.
3/77
LW Dexter Dancs - Vernon
As the 77th pick approached, the Jackets were hopeful that Tier II standout Jake Walman would still be around - Walman projects very comparably in style and upside to Brendan Smith, whom the Jackets plucked out of a similar Tier II situation a few years ago. But the rich got richer when Vancouver got their hands on Walman, leaving Columbus without a single standout candidate for their selection at #77. The next guy on the Jackets' board would likely still have been there for one of the Jackets' three picks in the 4th round, but there was nobody else that jumped out as strongly to Columbus scouts: Dexter Dancs.
Dancs is a pretty typical Columbus selection - a little bit off the board, but brings a package of size, skill, grit and skating to the table. Very similar profile to Jujhar Khaira when Columbus drafted him - also out of the BCHL - as a good-sized, mobile, late blooming winger with upside. (That's close to the profile that Nikolai Kulemin had as well back in 2006, although of course Kulemin's performance in Russia playing for Magnitogorsk with Evgeny Malkin earned him a second-round spot.) Dancs is a Michigan commit, so will go play for legend Red Berenson in one of the great WCHA programs. It's hoped that with the departures of Alex Guptill and Phil Di Giuseppe, he and fellow 2014 freshman Dylan Larkin will be able to make a splash in the Wolverines' top 9.
4/92
D Matt Bartovski - Ashwaubenon HS
Columbus has had considerable success mining Wisconsin for HFNHL prospects, including Derek Stepan, Justin Schultz, Brendan Smith, and Hobey Baker winner Blake Geoffrion. They had been hoping against hope that Jack Dougherty would somehow drop to 39, but of course he was a first-round selection in the HFNHL, leaving the Blue Jackets without their customary Badger in the system.
So with a wave of prospects rating out similarly on the Jackets' draft board, it comes as little surprise that the kid heading to Wisconsin was their selection with the first Day 2 pick. A player with lots of tools but not one talent that particularly stands out, Bartovski and his underdeveloped frame will benefit from a gradual maturation process under the watchful eye of Coach Eaves in the Badgers' blueline factory, but not before he plays the 2014-15 season with the USHL's Chicago Steel first. The step up in competition should be helpful as he prepares to make the adjustment from high school hockey to the NCAA. A long-term project.
4/98
RW JJ Piccinich - Youngstown
We had a few names at this spot and flip-flopped several times in the days leading up to the draft. But in the end Piccinich's potential upside as a top-six scorer carried the day. Like the rest of Columbus' selection in this draft, he's heading to a terrific NCAA program - this time Boston University, where the Terriers will hope to rise tot he top of a re-jigged Hockey East. If he pans out like current Blue Jacket Teddy Purcell, we'll be thrilled.
4/114
G Logan Halladay -Janesville
What's not to like? Big, athletic, a strong puck mover, and - this is a key - competitive. Too many goalies slated for the mid-rounds this year appeared to lack focus or mental toughness, which raised grave concerns for Jackets scouts. Halladay is very much a project in terms of his technique, but that is comparatively easily addressed through experience and coaching. But mental toughness is a question of personal makeup, and not something that can be as easily overcome. We'll happily take round out our strong college class by taking this Minnesota commit.
So there you have it. A small draft class, all clustered in the middle rounds, and all (coincidentally) headed to elite college hockey programs over the next couple of years. Will any of them get drafted in the NHL this weekend? Odds are at least a couple will, although likely later than where Columbus selected them. But our process has worked fairly well over the last several years at finding quality in the mid rounds (such as with Gustav Olofsson and Saku Maenalanen last year), so we'll just have to hope that trend continues. And, considering both those prospects have already been traded (in a deadline package for Drew Stafford), it's clear we need to do a better job of keeping our prospects and picks, but hey - one step at a time.
Assembling the roster that took Columbus deep into the Conference finals this year came at a price, and the farm bore the brunt of it. That trend continues, as the Jackets entered this draft with no first round pick - again - and just a handful of picks overall.
We explored a number of options to move up in the draft, but nothing worthwhile materialized.
2/39
We had a few key guys in mind for this pick, and by the time the 39th rolled around, it was down to Valeri Kamemev and Justin Kirkland. But Calgary was hot for Kirkland, and offered a package of picks Columbus simply couldn't turn down, so this pick turned into CGY 2nd and 4th in 2015 and CGY 3rd in 2016. With Calgary unlikely to repeat their cinderella season and the 2015 draft looking rich, the potential for more and better assets long-term offers greater hope for restocking the ravaged farm system. A bitter pill to swallow, though, as Kirkland and especially Kamenev look like legit players.
Calgary took Kirkland, and the Jackets immediately hit the phones in an effort to trade up to select Kamenev, finally finding a taker in the Isles for the 49th pick, but the conditional deal evaporated when Winnipeg finally selected the steady Russian at 48.
No other trades materialized, so the Jackets' first selection of the 2014 HFNHL Entry Draft came late on day one. And with all four of their picks clustered within 40 positions, the Jackets' draft was finished almost as soon as it began.
3/77
LW Dexter Dancs - Vernon
As the 77th pick approached, the Jackets were hopeful that Tier II standout Jake Walman would still be around - Walman projects very comparably in style and upside to Brendan Smith, whom the Jackets plucked out of a similar Tier II situation a few years ago. But the rich got richer when Vancouver got their hands on Walman, leaving Columbus without a single standout candidate for their selection at #77. The next guy on the Jackets' board would likely still have been there for one of the Jackets' three picks in the 4th round, but there was nobody else that jumped out as strongly to Columbus scouts: Dexter Dancs.
Dancs is a pretty typical Columbus selection - a little bit off the board, but brings a package of size, skill, grit and skating to the table. Very similar profile to Jujhar Khaira when Columbus drafted him - also out of the BCHL - as a good-sized, mobile, late blooming winger with upside. (That's close to the profile that Nikolai Kulemin had as well back in 2006, although of course Kulemin's performance in Russia playing for Magnitogorsk with Evgeny Malkin earned him a second-round spot.) Dancs is a Michigan commit, so will go play for legend Red Berenson in one of the great WCHA programs. It's hoped that with the departures of Alex Guptill and Phil Di Giuseppe, he and fellow 2014 freshman Dylan Larkin will be able to make a splash in the Wolverines' top 9.
Redline Report:
What a difference a year makes. Second year eligible has grown into his body, and is now a big bodied power winger with a wide, bow-legged stride who is very difficult to knock off balance.
Has good hands around the net and excellent skating ability for such a big kid. He also plays up to his size, throwing the body and mucking it up in the corners, and will drop the gloves when needed.
He takes the puck hard to net and plays all over the ice on the PK & PP. Always knows where his linemates are and finds them in scoring territory with sharp passes. Create turnovers and havoc off a heavy, tenacious forecheck.
With his combination of size/strength and outstanding mobility, along with the late progression in his offensive game, he’s a real Red Line sleeper.
Projection: Gritty 3rd liner who contributes on offence.
Style compares to: Wayne Simmonds
4/92
D Matt Bartovski - Ashwaubenon HS
Columbus has had considerable success mining Wisconsin for HFNHL prospects, including Derek Stepan, Justin Schultz, Brendan Smith, and Hobey Baker winner Blake Geoffrion. They had been hoping against hope that Jack Dougherty would somehow drop to 39, but of course he was a first-round selection in the HFNHL, leaving the Blue Jackets without their customary Badger in the system.
So with a wave of prospects rating out similarly on the Jackets' draft board, it comes as little surprise that the kid heading to Wisconsin was their selection with the first Day 2 pick. A player with lots of tools but not one talent that particularly stands out, Bartovski and his underdeveloped frame will benefit from a gradual maturation process under the watchful eye of Coach Eaves in the Badgers' blueline factory, but not before he plays the 2014-15 season with the USHL's Chicago Steel first. The step up in competition should be helpful as he prepares to make the adjustment from high school hockey to the NCAA. A long-term project.
Redline Report:
Intelligent and mobile rearguard took his cerebral and silky smooth game to another level as the year went on.
Started in the Fall playing a low key, contain style game and ended as an assertive and opportunistic player who pushes the pace and can control the game with the puck on his stick. Strong at creating shot opportunities for himself as he slides along the blue line while quarterbacking a potent PP.
Outstanding anticipation and likes to step up and intercept neutral zone passes, then start dangerous quick-strike counterattacks - excels in the transition game. Uses effortless skating and a quick, active stick to take away time and space from opponents at the defensive end.
Thin build and just adequate strength, but is taking the college route and four years will serve his physical development well. Given where he played, might be the best kept secret in the draft this year.
Projection: Raw offensive d-man.
Style compares to: Michael Del Zotto
4/98
RW JJ Piccinich - Youngstown
We had a few names at this spot and flip-flopped several times in the days leading up to the draft. But in the end Piccinich's potential upside as a top-six scorer carried the day. Like the rest of Columbus' selection in this draft, he's heading to a terrific NCAA program - this time Boston University, where the Terriers will hope to rise tot he top of a re-jigged Hockey East. If he pans out like current Blue Jacket Teddy Purcell, we'll be thrilled.
Future Considerations:
It was an eye-opening season for the gifted forward as he started slow, but picked up his scoring pace when he received more ice time on the top line with big-time 2015 prospect Kyle Connor. Despite the stats, Piccinich projects as more of a goal scorer with his finisher’s touch, which includes a wicked wrist shot and the ability to get into high-scoring areas both with and without the puck. He has a very quick shot with power behind it and strong accuracy. He likes to take it when coming off the rush and bustling down the wing with the puck. He shoots to score, and will get the puck on net through tough situations when he sees a lane. He also has the ability to sneak into positions around the net for the puck and simply knows where to be to score.
One thing that was impressive with Piccinich this season was his ability to adapt to tough situations, as he had a bit of a scoring drought late in the year and instead of gripping his stick tighter, he displayed impressive playmaking skills and passing ability. He has the ability to find lanes and seek out teammates with a hard pass off the rush, and with this element in his game, he becomes even more dangerous. Piccinich owns impressive strength over the puck, and he has the ability to shield it from pressure and come off the walls with the puck. He works hard for his puck possession and comes in aggressively off the forecheck to pursue it.
Piccinich is also an effective defensive player who worked the PK often for the Phantoms. He gets his stick in lanes and comes out hard on the point men. Piccinich is a strong skater who hustles at both ends. He has a powerful stride and uses his arm motion to add power to each stride. He accelerates nicely and he has the ability to speed by a defenseman with the puck.
NHL POTENTIAL: Top-Six Scoring Winger
4/114
G Logan Halladay -Janesville
What's not to like? Big, athletic, a strong puck mover, and - this is a key - competitive. Too many goalies slated for the mid-rounds this year appeared to lack focus or mental toughness, which raised grave concerns for Jackets scouts. Halladay is very much a project in terms of his technique, but that is comparatively easily addressed through experience and coaching. But mental toughness is a question of personal makeup, and not something that can be as easily overcome. We'll happily take round out our strong college class by taking this Minnesota commit.
Redline Report:
We’ve liked this big, rangy netiminder since first seeing him three years ago, and today we consider him one of Red Line’s true super sleepers. Highly competitive and intense goalie, and since he got his chance to be the #1 guy in Janesville, has been virtually unbeatable.
Still raw in terms of foundation and fundamentals, but is a puckhandling wizard who singlehandedly snuffs out forechecks, clears the zone on penalty kills, and kick-starts the transition game by hitting forwards with long outlet passes from the goal line.
Long limbed, very athletic and flexible. Fast glove and soft pads that don’t give up rebounds. Keeps shoulders up to take away top corners when down on his knees.
Has a great work ethic on and off the ice, which can also be detrimental as he’ll react prematurely to developing plays instead of remaining patient. Needs to be quieter in his movements.
Projection: Shares #1 duties for solid playoff team.
Style compares to: Braden Holtby
So there you have it. A small draft class, all clustered in the middle rounds, and all (coincidentally) headed to elite college hockey programs over the next couple of years. Will any of them get drafted in the NHL this weekend? Odds are at least a couple will, although likely later than where Columbus selected them. But our process has worked fairly well over the last several years at finding quality in the mid rounds (such as with Gustav Olofsson and Saku Maenalanen last year), so we'll just have to hope that trend continues. And, considering both those prospects have already been traded (in a deadline package for Drew Stafford), it's clear we need to do a better job of keeping our prospects and picks, but hey - one step at a time.
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