The Columbus Blue Jackets entered draft weekend looking to add some quality defense prospects to their system and they certainly did just that.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen traded up for an additional 1st round pick on Friday night and used it to grab Swedish defenseman Gabriel Carlsson after the team already used 8th overall on Zach Werenski.
It didn't end there, though, as they used four of their seven picks on Day 2 on defensemen.
Some thoughts on each pick:
8th overall: D Zach Werenski (Michigan, NCAA) Werenski is often overlooked when it comes to the Big Three defensemen in this year's draft class but there are people who believe he will be the best of the group when all is said and done.
Werenski is a big (6'2'), mobile puck-moving defenseman who can play in all situations. He tallied 25 points (9G, 16A) in 35 games while playing big minutes for Michigan as one of the youngest players in college hockey.
The Blue Jackets wanted to add a high-end blue liner to their system and they certainly did that here.
Nobody has ever done what Zach Werenski has this season, which is why he checks in at 5th on our countdown: http://t.co/4T8sk1R0Lm
— Rhys Jessop (@Thats_Offside) June 25, 201529th overall: D Gabriel Carlsson (Linkopings, SHL) Carlsson is another big blue liner (6'4') who gets around the ice fairly well.
While he is mobile and can make a good outlet pass he is certainly more well known for his defensive game than offensive game. He likely won't produce much offense at the NHL-level and projects to be a Niklas Hjalmarsson-type defenseman.
Still, he is a pretty good defense prospect and he certainly fills a need for the Blue Jackets.
38th overall: LW Paul Bittner (Portland, WHL) Bittner is a big, power forward who is coming off an excellent season with the Portland Winterhawks.
While playing on a line with Nic Petan and fellow Blue Jackets prospect Oliver Bjorkstand he was able to score 34 goals and put up 74 points in 66 games.
He's projected to be a physical middle-6 forward who can score some goals at the next level because of his high-end shot. Like the Blue Jackets, quite a few people expected him to go in the 1st round.
58th overall: C Kevin Stenlund (HV71 Jrs) Stenlund is another big bodied player (6'3' -- sensing a trend here?) that gets around the ice well for his size.
He spent much of last season playing against men in Sweden. The book on him is that he's a big two-way center who can play in all situations. He's more of a project pick but he could be very good a few years down the road.
69th overall: W Keegan Kolesar (Seattle, WHL) After grabbing the Swedish center Kekalainen and co. went back to the WHL for their next pick in Keegan Kolesar.
He's a 6'2' winger who scored 19 goals and tallied 34 points in 64 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds last season. He recorded 85 penalty minutes in that span.
Admittedly I haven't seen much of him so I'll defer to WHL scout Cody Nickolet for some more info.
#CBJ go back to the WHL, take F Keegan Kolesar. A linebacker on skates. Soft hands for a big guy. Elite D instincts. pic.twitter.com/9uw5sxDrPi
— Cody Nickolet (@DubFromAbove) June 27, 2015129th overall: D Sam Ruopp (Prince George, WHL) Ruopp is a big body (6'4') from the WHL that was chosen as a re-entry player (he's already 19).
I haven't seen much of him but I'm assuming it's safe to say there isn't a whole lot of offense to his game as he's scored just eight goals and tallied 42 points over 128 regular season games throughout the last two seasons.
He's coming off a year where he posted 26 points and 140 penalty minutes in 64 games.
Sam Ruopp goes 129th to Columbus. Big, mean blueliner. Skating isn't a strength. Definitely a project pick. He was outside my WHL top 150.
— Cody Nickolet (@DubFromAbove) June 27, 2015141st overall: D Veeti Vainio (Blues Jrs) From all accounts Veeti Vainio is a high upside project pick.
He's a 6'2' blue liner with good puck skills and skating ability but his defensive game is a big work in progress at this point.
He's a nice addition late in the draft and he could turn out to provide great value for where he was chosen.
Veeti!!! The kid can really skate. Defense not so much at this point of his development. Disappointed at U18 for me. #NHLDraft
— Mark Edwards (@MarkEdwardsHP) June 27, 2015I don't know much about either Vladislav Gavrikov or Markus Nutivaara other than they're both European defense prospects.
Kekalainen clearly put a priority on drafting defensemen this year and he certainly did so by using six of their nine picks on blue liners.
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