For the Blue Jackets, the blue line starts and ends with the letter Z.
Zach Werenski’s historic 2024-25 campaign rewrote the CBJ record books and firmly established the alternate captain as one of the league’s top defensemen, as it took an equally notable season from Colorado’s Cale Makar to keep the longtime Blue Jacket from taking home the Norris Trophy.
Werenski is set to enter his 10th season with Columbus and is one of the team’s key building blocks, as he’s fully capable of playing 30 minutes when called upon and turning in excellent work no matter the situation. Past Werenski, the Blue Jackets have locked up much of their blue line for the coming seasons after signing Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro to extensions this summer.
Looking down the road, though, Columbus has turned its eye to adding big, athletic defensemen to its prospect ranks in the hopes they can fortify the position for years to come. The Blue Jackets have selected seven blueliners in the past two drafts, with all of them standing at least 6-2 and five of them measuring in at 6-4 and above.
This week, with the 2025 NHL Draft now a month in the rearview mirror and the upcoming season on the horizon, we're breaking down where things stand in the CBJ pipeline, giving fans a look at what’s still to come in the future. After starting with the team's forwards yesterday, we’re looking at the team’s defenseman today, with goalies still to come.
To be listed as a prospect, players must be under 25 years old and played less than 25 games at the NHL level.
At The Top Level
The Blue Jackets saw two graduations to the NHL level a season ago, as Jake Christiansen played the entire season in Columbus after four seasons largely spent with AHL Cleveland, while 20-year-old first-round pick Denton Mateychuk banged down the door and earned a call-up by dominating with the Monsters. With those two players in the fold, it might be tough for anyone to replicate that feat in the near future; the Blue Jackets have Werenski, Provorov, Fabbro and Damon Severson locked up on long-term contracts, Christiansen inked for the next two seasons and Mateychuk under team control until 2031. Of course, things can change rapidly at the NHL level, and the Blue Jackets have invested in a number of big, talented defensemen who will vie for spots down the road.
Top Prospect: Jackson Smith
The Blue Jackets practically sprinted to the podium this June when Smith was still available with the 14th overall pick, as many mock drafts had the smooth-skating blueliner pegged to be off the board by the time Columbus selected. There’s a lot to like in Smith’s game, and it starts with his skating – while standing 6-4, 199 pounds, Smith moves with the grace of a much smaller man. A natural athlete who also excels at such sports as swimming and golf, Smith has the ability to always be in the right spot no matter the matchup. He also has some offensive talents, as Smith was the top-scoring draft eligible blueliner in the Western Hockey League a season ago, posting an 11-43-54 line in 68 games with Tri-City. He’ll have to clean up some details in his game and get better in the defensive zone – what 18-year-old defenseman doesn’t? – but Smith brings a lot to the table to be excited about. He’s headed to Penn State for the upcoming season, where he’ll get the chance to match up against a number of highly rated forwards scattered throughout the Big Ten.
Who's Next: Daemon Hunt
When Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell discussed blueliners who will be in the mix to challenge for spots this upcoming season, Hunt was the top prospect on his list, and that might not be much of a surprise. The third-round pick in the 2020 NHL draft has already played 13 NHL games, getting a look with Minnesota before being acquired in November in a trade that sent David Jiricek to the Wild. The 23-year-old left-shot blueliner largely stayed under the radar after being sent to Cleveland after the trade, but he was a solid part of the team’s lineup – posting 2-12-14 in 48 games – before suffering a late-season injury. Hunt profiles as a two-way defender who can hold his own in all situations.
Keep An Eye On: Guillaume Richard
It’s been four years since the Blue Jackets took the steady, defensive-minded defenseman in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, and it’s fair to say there hasn’t been a ton of buzz around Richard since then. The Quebec native doesn’t exactly fill up the score sheet, as he totaled just eight goals in four seasons with Providence College, but the left-shot defenseman does use his 6-2 frame and hockey intelligence to shut down opposing forwards. Richard jumped right into AHL action and was a big part of the Cleveland defensive corps during the Calder Cup postseason a year ago, and it is worth noting he scored three times in 14 games with the Monsters. He'll play his first pro season this year, and be too surprised if he carves out a role at some point with the Blue Jackets.
Players To Watch
Here’s a look at the five other defensive prospects the Blue Jackets have under contract, listed in alphabetical order:
Corson Ceulemans (2021 first-round pick) is a big, toolsy defender with an aggressive game, but translating that to the pro level has been the challenge. He was starting to settle in, though, a season ago in his second campaign with the Monsters before suffering a season-ending injury in January. ... Charlie Elick (2024 second-round pick) is noted for his physical game, as he’s a big, right-shot defender – a rare commodity these days – who the Blue Jackets took so early because of his ability to lay a hit and be responsible in his own zone. The 6-4 Elick is expected to return to Tri-City of the WHL. ... Caleb MacDonald (free agent signee) was inked to a contract after spending this past season at the University of North Dakota, where he matched up against some of the best teams in college hockey and posted 10 points and a plus-7 rating in 35 games. The 22-year-old fills a hole as a left-shot defenseman with size. ... Luca Marrelli (2024 third-round pick) bears plenty of watching, as he posted 25 goals and 110 points in 88 games (both regular season and playoffs) this past season with Oshawa of the OHL. One of junior hockey’s top defensemen a year ago, he could begin this season with Cleveland. ... Stanislav Svozil (2021 third-round pick) is an all-around defender with excellent poise on the puck. A high scorer in juniors, the left-shot defenseman has turned in two solid seasons with the Monsters (9-38-47 in 120 games) and may deserve an NHL look sooner rather than later.
The Future
Columbus also has drafted seven defensemen who remain overseas or in college/junior hockey, who are listed in alphabetical order.
Luke Ashton (2024 sixth-round pick) is a towering (6-6) blueliner who turned in a solid offensive season a year ago in his first season of college hockey at Minnesota State. Now transferring to Cornell, Ashton is an intriguing package with a sneaky shot. ... Victor Hedin Raftheim (2025 sixth-round pick) is still just 17 and profiles as a big (6-4) defenseman with a good first pass. He’ll remain with Byrnas in his native Sweden for the coming seasons. ... Tanner Henricks (2024 fourth-round pick) is currently with Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase after an excellent season (4-29-33, plus-21 in 60 games) with Lincoln of the USHL. The 6-4 defenseman is bound for St. Cloud State University. ... Aidan Hreschuk (acquired from Carolina) was a minutes-eating defensive defenseman with Boston College the past four seasons. The 2021 third-round pick has until Aug. 15 to sign with Columbus or he becomes a free agent. ... Nikolai Makarov (2021 fifth-round pick) helped CSKA Moskva to a KHL title in 2023, but he’s had trouble sticking with the big club the past two seasons. He has just one goal in 64 KHL games over five seasons. ... Andrew Strathmann (2023 fourth-round pick) battled injuries in his first season with North Dakota this past season, finishing with two goals and four points in 30 games. He profiles as a two-way blueliner who might have more offense in his game than last year suggests. ... Malte Vass (2025 third-round pick) is a shutdown blueliner who isn’t afraid to get dirty in the corners and make life difficult on opposing forwards. The Blue Jackets had the Boston University-bound, left-shot D rated highly in the draft thanks to his commitment to defending.
