Indeed, Columbus has generally done a good job at the draft, finding players who comprised a large part of the team’s rosters in recent years thanks to productive early selections and a few gems in the later rounds.
So Siren and his crew have earned Waddell’s respect quickly, though the general manager did meet in Vegas with a handful of prospects the Blue Jackets might select with their top selection – fourth overall – in this year’s event.
LEARN MORE: CBJ draft hub
While the amateur scouting department will be in charge of the picks as the seven-round draft moves on, Waddell – who was in a similar situation when Carolina chose Andrei Svechnikov second overall just weeks after he became the team’s general manager in 2018 – will have a hand in the biggest name that becomes a Blue Jacket on Friday night.
“It’s important for me to make sure I know all those players,” Waddell said. “When you have the fourth pick in the draft, you have to hit it right. It’s gonna be a big decision for all of us to make.”
The good news is the hay is largely in the barn as the scouting staff gets ready for what many describe as their Super Bowl. Meetings are wrapping up, and now the excitement begins.
“I think we are very well prepared and we are excited to go,” Siren said. “We can’t wait. We have had our meetings and we are pretty much done. ... We are confident that we are going to get a good player.”
Schedule of Events
The draft will kick off tomorrow night at Sphere in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. ET, with round one taking place this evening; rounds two through seven are tomorrow starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Blue Jackets Selections
Here’s a look at the choices Columbus owns in the draft.
First round: 4th overall
Second round: 36th overall*
Third round: 69th overall, 86th overall
Fourth round: 101st overall
Fifth round: 133rd overall
Sixth round: 165th overall
Seventh round: None
*Columbus has traded its second-round pick in either this draft or next year’s to Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets must decide at the end of the first round tomorrow.
Consensus top 10
Each year, I've compiled a consensus poll of the top 32 prospects in the draft, based on where notable analysts have ranked the best players available. You can see the whole list here along with their accomplishments and statistics, but here's a quick look at the top 10. (Heights and weights as well as positions are those measured either at the NHL Scouting Combine or other predraft camps.)
1. C Macklin Celebrini | 5-11¾, 197 | Boston University (NCAA) | No. 1-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
2. RW Ivan Demidov | 6-0½, 192 | SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) | No. 2-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting
3. LHD Zeev Buium | 6-0, 186 | Denver University (NCAA) | No. 4-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
4. RHD Artyom Levshunov | 6-1¾, 205 | Michigan State (NCAA) | No. 2-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
5. C Cayden Lindstrom | 6-3, 213 | Medicine Hat (WHL) | No. 3-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
6. C Berkly Catton | 5-10¼, 175 | Spokane (WHL) | No. 8-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
7. LHD Sam Dickinson | 6-2¾, 203 | London (OHL) | No. 7-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
8. RHD Zayne Parekh | 6-0¼, 178 | Saginaw (OHL) | No. 5-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
9. C Tij Iginla | 6-0, 191 | Kelowna (WHL) | No. 9-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting
10. LHD Anton Silayev | 6-7, 211 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL) | No. 1-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting
The Vibe
Everyone knows Celebrini will go first overall to San Jose, but the intrigue starts after that with Chicago holding the second pick and Anaheim drafting third. How those two teams draft will have a major impact on where Columbus goes, as the Blue Jackets will have to wait to see who is left on the board. Chicago is reportedly down to Levshunov or Demidov, while SIlayev is the betting odds favorite to end up in Anaheim. This is thought to be a relatively wide-open draft behind Celebrini, and mock drafts remain split on who will put on the union blue jersey on Friday night. However it goes, Columbus will have a chance to select someone who will be an impact player down the road.
Three Potential Choices at No. 4
While there remains a fair bit of uncertainty with this draft, some picks seem more likely at this choice than others. Here’s three players to keep an eye on:
- Cayden Lindstrom: There’s some risk here – Lindstrom missed part of this past season because of a back injury, and he is still a bit raw when it comes to playing at the highest levels – but he checks off enough boxes that he won’t last long at the draft. As a center, he plays a premium position; he has plenty of offensive talent, as evidenced by a 27-19-46 line in 32 games this past season with Medicine Hat (WHL); and his 6-3, 213-pound frame makes scouts drool. Lindstrom plays with an edge, can score, and would seemingly be the perfect companion to Adam Fantilli down the middle. Siren said Columbus has done its homework on Lindstrom’s injury and has all the information it needs heading into the draft.
- Ivan Demidov: If things go according to the odds, that would leave both Lindstrom and Demidov on the board when Columbus picks, which is like asking if you’d like to have cake or ice cream after dinner. If only you could say “Both!” in this case, but the Blue Jackets would have to choose. Taking the dynamic Russian wing who might be the best pure offensive talent in the class might be hard to pass up, as Demidov averaged two points per game this past season in Russia’s junior level and has creativity in spades. The Blue Jackets have had the chance to meet face-to-face with Demidov as he’s been in the United States the past week, which could help with familiarity.
- Anton Silayev: You just can’t shake the feeling Silayev ends up going early in this draft. The 6-7 Russian blueliner finished just 10th in our consensus poll of draft experts, but there are strong vibes he ends up going much higher than that. If he’s still on the board, the “unicorn” of this draft could be attractive to Columbus, as very few players combine his size and skating ability. Silayev played this past season in the KHL against men and could be a game-changing player at the NHL level.
