NHL announces official draft order; Blue Jackets to select No. 16 overall in first round
by Rob Mixer / Columbus Blue Jackets
The first round of the 2014 NHL Draft is a week away, and the league announced the official order on Thursday afternoon.
When the draft begins on Friday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the Blue Jackets hold pick No. 16 in the first round – a slight change from the three first-round picks they owned at the 2013 NHL Draft in New Jersey.
Columbus acquired a conditional second-round pick in the Marian Gaborik trade with Los Angeles, and because that pick was acquired by the Kings via the Anaheim Ducks, the Blue Jackets won’t know until the draft gets closer whether they’ll have pick No. 38 in this year’s draft.
It’s the option of Anaheim whether to keep this year’s second-round pick or defer to next year, in which case the Blue Jackets would also get pick No. 38 in addition to No. 47 overall that they already own.

Here’s a rundown of the Blue Jackets’ picks as of Thursday:
Round 1: 16
Round 2: 38 (ANA’s option**), 47
Round 3: 63 (from EDM via LA), 77
Round 4: 107
Round 5: none
Round 6: none
Round 7: 197
**Anaheim acquired a second-round pick from Toronto in a 2013 trade that sent Peter Holland to the Maple Leafs. Toronto had previously acquired the pick from Los Angeles.
And here’s the full first-round order:
1. Florida
2. Buffalo
3. Edmonton
4. Calgary
5. NY Islanders
6. Vancouver
7. Carolina
8. Toronto
9. Winnipeg
10. Anaheim
11. Nashville
12. Phoenix
13. Washington
14. Dallas
15. Detroit
16. Columbus
17. Philadelphia
18. Minnesota
19. Tampa Bay
20. San Jose
21. St. Louis
22. Pittsburgh
23. Colorado
24. Anaheim
25. Boston
26. Montreal
27. Chicago
28. Tampa Bay
29. Los Angeles
30. New Jersey