Columbus Blue Jackets 2021 Entry Draft Recap

Jackets General Manager Andrew Payeur introduced the largest draft class of his career, including his earliest ever overall selection at a press conference this morning. The rebuilding club made its first round 1 selection since 2017 when the team selected Robert Thomas at 24th overall. Payeur was giddy with excitement telling the huddled group of reporters that this draft class will be the back bone of his rebuild and that he was thrilled with how the draft board fell. A year after selecting mostly USHL players, Payeur seemed to be continuing that trend after selecting Cole Sillinger at 15th overall, however the trend for 2021 quickly turned towards Finland as the team made 3 selections in the middle rounds from Finnish leagues. When asked what his plans were heading into free agency Payeur said that he always intended for this to be a short rebuild and that he intends to be aggressive in free agency in the search of players that can play at the top of the lineup while the team waits for its prospect pipeline to develop into NHLers.

15th overall - Cole Sillinger, C, Sioux Falls (USHL)

Sillinger is a pure goal scorer. He possesses the best shot in the draft and used that shot to terrorize goalies in the USHL last season, potting 24 goals in just 31 games. He's also tenacious and hard working, with great compete level all over the ice, fitting right into the Blue Jackets culture. Sillinger improved his skating a lot last season and the coaching staff would like to see those improvements continue so that he can reach his maximum potential. After being loaned from the Medicine Hat Tigers to the USHL for the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, Sillinger will return to the WHL next season.

38th overall - Zach Dean, C, Gatineau (QMJHL)

Dean is a phenomenal skater and passer and that makes him a real threat off the rush. He plays the game at a fast pace and has the skill set to match. His production with Gatineau in the Q falls short of many of his draft day peers but Blue Jackets scouts attribute most of that lost production to playing for a rather low scoring Olympiques squad and saw a lot of opportunities that Dean created die on his teammates' sticks. The potential is there for Dean to become a dominant top 6 forward, but his floor is also very high due to his skating and vision.

47th overall - Aleksi Heimosalmi, D, Assat Jr. (U20 SM-sarja)

Heimosalmi is a smallish smooth skating defenceman with a responsible defensive game and the ability to make skilled rushes up the ice to help contribute on offense. He remains calm and poised with the puck on his stick and finds smart passing lanes at both ends of the ice. He was named the top defenseman at the World Junior U18 tournament and flashed his skill, scoring not one but two goals on end-to-end rushes. There are some concerns that Heimosalmi's game may not translate to the next level as his game can sometimes be over simplistic at the offensive end and his size may hold him back when he graduates to play against the larger bodies of the NHL.

78th overall - Oliver Kapanen, C, Kalpa Jr. (U20 SM-sarja)

Counsin of Kasperi, nephew of Sami, Kapanen is a smart offensive player with a great shot and finishing skills. He needs to work on his skating and can disappear at times playing a perimeter game. But with the great improvements he's made over the past couple of seasons, the Blue Jackets hope that he can continue those strides and develop into a top 6 forward.

80th overall - Samuel Helenius, C, JYP (SM-liiga)

Helenius is huge. 6 foot, 6 inches, 200 pounds at just 18 years old. The Blue Jackets were attracted to the prospect because he played against men in SM-liiga during the 2020-21 season and did not look out of place. The team think he'll make a quick jump to the NHL, purely due to his size. Helenius' game is not particularly skillful in the offensive zone, but he competes hard and his defensive instincts are very good as he projects to be a third or fourth line center at the NHL level.

128th overall - Wyatt Kaiser, D, U. of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

Kaiser represents the first overager ever selected by GM Payeur. Kaiser was relied on heavily last season playing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, a rarity for an 18 year old freshman. Kaiser's game is mature, poised and mistake free with a high compete level. Kaiser helped lead Minnesota-Duluth to the Frozen Four, beating a stacked North Dakota team in the quarter finals in a now legendary 5-OT game where Kaiser logged an insane 59:39 minutes of ice-time, during which he conceded only ONE scoring chance against.

144th overall - Ethan Cardwell, RW, Barrie (OHL)

With late picks, the Blue Jakes strategy was to take some risks and target lesser seen OHL prospects, beginning with Cardwell. Like Helenius, the Jackets loved that Cardwell played professional hockey in 2020-21 and didn't look out of place among grown men. Cardwell was loaned by the Barrie Colts to Suragammars IF of Sweden's third-tier men's league and put up 27 points in 18 games. Cardwell adds another hard working, gritty player to this draft class but comes with a lot of offensive upside as well.

Round 7 –

The Blue Jackets finished up they’re draft in the 7^th round by first trading two of their five selections to the Calgary Flames for a future 5^th round pick and then selecting a trio of players. The team first dipped its toes back into Scandinavia by selecting Joel Nystrom out of Sweden. Nystrom is a classic “late bloomer” who had less than impressive numbers prior to his draft year but really improved playing for Färjestad’ of the SHL. He’s big, skates well and plays a smart defensive game. The Blue Jackets then drafted overager Jackson Hallum of the USHL who projects as a bottom 6 forward with good physical tools. Finally, the Jackets wrapped up their draft by selecting Jacob Holmes of the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL. He didn’t play much hockey in 2020-21 due to the pandemic, but the team felt he was worth the risk after seeing his promise during his rookie OHL season.