A by-product of the Jackets poor season they not only got a high pick at the top of the draft they also got a high pick at the beginning of the second round, in pick 34. Every year there are players who have first round talent who fall into the second round. Last season it was players like Daniel Sprong, Oliver Kylington and Jeremy Bracco.
The second round has given the Blue Jackets trouble in recent history outside of Boone Jenner they haven’t done a good job at getting prospects early in day two. The Jackets need to add skill to their system and there should be some highly skilled players available. I focused on North American players as I'm more familiar with them having seen most of them play. The Jackets could go any direction with this pick and because of that I’ve listed three wingers, three centres and three defencemen (I excluded goalies because you shouldn’t take a goalie this high).
Wingers
Alex DeBrincat – RW Erie Otters OHL: NHL Central Scouting Ranking 21
DeBrincat is one of the best snipers available for this year’s draft. He's scored 51 goals in back to back seasons in the OHL. Yes he played alongside Connor McDavid and Dylan Strome in those seasons but he wasn’t a passenger on those lines. He's a good skater and can get to good scoring areas on the ice. His shot is his best attribute. He generates good velocity and is deadly accurate.
The biggest thing holding DeBrincat back is his size; he's listed at just 5’7. There are numerous NHL players who are in the 5’9-5’11 range but there are legitimate questions if DeBrincat can play in the NHL at his size. To his credit he doesn’t play small, he's willing to get in your face and engages in physical play. He has the skill of a top 10 talent and is worth the risk.
Vitali Abramov – RW Gatineau Olympics QMJHL: NHL CS 29
Abramov was fantastic in his first season in North America. He scored 38 goals and had 55 assists, tying for fifth in QMJHL scoring with 93 points. He's a tremendous skater, who can dart in and out of defenders. He's has great hands and can stickhandle in a phone booth. On top of that he is a very smart player with a high hockey IQ.
Abramov could be available in the second round because of two reasons. First the Russian factor; which isn’t as strong as it once was but it’s still something teams rightfully or not, consider. Second he is small, standing at 5’9. Despite the success of players like Johnny Gaudreau and Cam Atkinson, there is still a large bias against smaller players. That size does limit what Abramov can do physically and he isn’t the best defensive player. What he brings offensively though is too good to pass up.
Adam Mascherin – LW Kitchener Rangers OHL: NHL CS 42
Mascherin is small (5’9) but you wouldn’t know it from watching him. He's built like truck and plays much bigger than his size. He's highly skilled with a booming shot. He has one of the best shots already in the OHL but struggles at times with accuracy. He scored 35 goals this season but it easily could have been more if he that accuracy. He gets himself into great scoring areas and generates plenty of chances. He protects the puck well with his strength and can compete physically with bigger players.
The flaw in his game is his skating. He has decent enough speed but his stride is choppy and awkward. If he can’t improve upon that it may hold him back as he progresses. Fortunately skating is one of the areas that can be improved.
Centres
Brett Howden – C Moose Jaw Warriors WHL: NHL CS 22
Howden is the player I believe the Jackets will be monitoring closely as he is a big strong centre. He is 6’2, 190lbs and plays a solid two-way game. He plays a north south game and likes to play that physical grinding style that we have seen the Blue Jackets play. He goes to the dirty areas of the ice and is usually successful due his size and strength.
If Howden does fall to the second round the reason will be because of his lack of offensive game. He scored 64 points this season in 68 games with Moose Jaw which isn’t bad but ideally those top end prospects should be scoring well over a point per game. He's fine skater with good acceleration due to his strong lower half. He has a good shot which again stems from his overall strength. His puck handling skills, while not a weakness, could be improved upon.
Sam Steel – C Regina Pats WHL: NHL CS 30
Steel was the second overall pick in WHL bantam draft in 2013 and was one of the better 16 year olds last year. This year he struggled to an extent with 70 points in 72 games. Regina was a solid team making the playoffs and Steel was their second leading scorer. He is more of playmaker with 47 of his 70 points being assists. He's a smooth skater with good hands and hockey IQ.
He’s an offensive minded player but tends to play to what the defence gives him rather than dictate the play. He was kept to the outside which is a reason why his numbers were lower than expected. Part of that is because he isn’t the strongest player. He's 5’11 so he's not tiny but he's only 176lbs. As he gets stronger we should start to see his offensive game come along with it.
Will Bitten – C Flint Firebirds OHL: NHL CS 43
Bitten had a very similar season statistically to that of Howden. Bitten had 65 points in 67 games with Flint. The difference here is that Bitten was had no supporting help and was the focal point of the offense. Plus considering all the off-ice stuff going on with Flint, his season is all the more impressive. Bitten is a creative forward. He is very exciting whether creating plays on his own or setting up teammates. He's smart and makes quick decisions. He's a tenacious on the back check and is strong in his own end.
Like many players on this list Bitten is on the smaller side, at 5’10. There are some concerns that his offensive game won’t translate to the next level. He is a smart player but lacks that elite standout tool.
Defencemen
Samuel Girard – D Shawinigan Cataracts QMJHL: NHL CS 38
Girard was one of if not the best defencemen in the QMJHL this season. He led all D with 74 points and a 1.10 points per game rate. He's an elite skater with high end speed and agility. He's like an extra forward on the ice when he's leading the rush or weaving around in the offensive zone. His vision is elite; he can find the open man and has the hockey smarts to know when to take the puck to the net or when to stay back. Girard has an accurate shot but due to his small stature (5’9, 165) he doesn’t generate much velocity.
Girard’s lack of size can limit what he does defensively. He isn’t a physical player and can get pushed around by bigger forwards. The good thing though is that Girard spends so little time in the defensive zone this hasn’t been a big issue. Girard has the potential to be a top pair defencemen, and worst case scenario he ends up as an offensive power play specialist.
Cam Dineen – D North Bay Battalion OHL: NHL CS 39
Dineen is an interesting defencemen in that he put up gaudy point totals but doesn’t ooze the physical tools the other defencemen on this list do. He's a decent skater with some speed but he lacks acceleration. His shot is his best attribute, he can rip it, scoring 13 goals this season. He sees the ice well which helped him rack up 46 assists for North Bay.
Defensively teams can take advantage of Dineen’s skating by making quick starts and stops. He needs to improve his gap control, though to this point it hasn’t hurt him. Dineen does a good job at supressing shots and transitioning the puck out of the zone. For more on Dineen,
I profiled him back in April.
Adam Fox – D US National Team Development Program: NHL CS 50
Fox is an undersized offensive defencemen. He has a good skating ability to go along with good puck skills. He put up big offensive numbers with the USNDP scoring nine goals and 50 assists in 64 games. He added another five goals and 17 assists in 25 USHL games. Fox has great vision and passing particularly in the offensive zone.
His size (5’10) is what is keeping him out of the first round. He has sound defensive positioning but lacks the physicality can reach that bigger defencemen provide. The
HockeyProspect.com Black Book sums up Fox the best:
Fox is a good puck-mover with good offensive hockey IQ and skills. The lack of size will make it an uphill battle for him to defend against bigger forwards.
His offensive upside is too good to pass up.
Anyone of these nine players would be a great add to the Blue Jackets system. They all bring high end skill and should be available when the Jackets second pick comes around at 34. The second round has been a sore spot for the Blue Jackets recently, one of these players would help turn that reputation around.
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