What turns a good draft pick into a great draft one?
It’s a subjective debate, but a couple of factors have to enter in. There’s production, of course, as the biggest ingredient in a good NHL draft pick is having that player make it to the league and have an impact. The second might be longevity, as ideally that player will not just produce but do it on your team for many years. And the third is value, as it’s generally much rarer to see a late-round pick that contributes than a first-rounder.
Add it all up and you can have some pretty good arguments about the best (and/or worst) picks in any franchise history. And with the Blue Jackets set to begin their 25th season, it feels like a good time to go back and look at some of the biggest draft hits in the team's quarter century of picks.
CBJ DRAFT CENTRAL: RSVP for the draft party and more!
They’re all familiar names, of course, and some tough decisions had to be made. But we tried our best to balance the player’s impact (or potential impact in one case) in Columbus, how much of his production came with the CBJ and the value of the pick.
Three of the picks ended up being first-round selections, but we easily could have gone with a number of the late-round gems over the years that have become big pieces in Columbus. What’s your take?
Here’s my picks of the best of the best from 25 years of CBJ drafts.
5. Adam Fantilli (first round, 2023, University of Michigan): Is it too early to say this, considering he's played only two seasons so far? In my opinion, no, it’s not. Time will tell exactly how Fantilli’s career will unfold, but I think you can say there’s a really good chance that adding Fantilli with the third overall pick in the dramatic 2023 draft was a franchise-changing selection. The Blue Jackets have amassed a ton of young talent in recent years, but Fantilli might have the highest ceiling as a superstar center who scores goals, plays with passion and embodies what it means to be a Blue Jacket. The youngest player in the NHL this past season to top 30 goals, Fantilli looks like a player the Blue Jackets will be able to build around for a long, long time, so I’m saying he’s worthy of this ranking right now.
4. Boone Jenner (second round, 2011, Oshawa): You could honestly make an argument that Jenner should be higher, as all he’s done is serve as team captain for four seasons, become the team’s all-time leader in games played and enter the franchise’s top four in goals, assists and points. Not bad for the 37th overall pick. Jenner is the only CBJ player to top 10 years of service – he's set for his 13th NHL season in 2025-26 – and encapsulates everything it means to be a Blue Jacket, from his work ethic to his love for the game and the Columbus community. He’s been exactly what the Blue Jackets hoped for when they walked up to the podium 14 years ago.
3. Cam Atkinson (sixth round, 2008, Avon Old Farms): Looking back, this was quite the flyer that worked out in spades for Blue Jackets brass. Atkinson hadn’t yet become a high-scoring star at Boston College at the time of this selection, but the undersized wing was notable enough in the scouting world for his exploits at the Connecticut prep school that he ended up on draft boards. After an excellent career at BC, Atkinson joined the Blue Jackets organization and became not just a formidable player but a key part of the CBJ fabric off the ice, as well. He equaled Rick Nash’s franchise record with 41 goals in 2018-19 – tied for the most goals in a season for player taken in the sixth round or later since 2000 – and sits second all-time in Blue Jackets annals with 213 goals and 402 points. Atkinson tops Jenner in our list simply because of how difficult it is to find a two-time All-Star in the latter rounds of the draft.
2. Zach Werenski (first round, 2015, University of Michigan): Oh, what a draft class this was. Werenski went eighth overall after the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner (and 127 picks before Kirill Kaprizov), and it’s fair to say the Blue Jackets got it right. Everyone knew Werenski’s offensive bona fides coming out of U-M, but he’s developed into his game as a preeminent NHL star – second in the Norris Trophy voting this year, a stalwart on the U.S. national team and a leader in the locker room and more as a three-time CBJ Community MVP. The highest-scoring defenseman in franchise history, Werenski has the most assists in team history and is third in points. Nine years into his career, it’s hard to imagine Werenski playing anywhere else at this point.
1. Rick Nash (first round, 2002, London): It’s fitting that the only No. 1 overall pick in franchise history gets the top spot in our ranking. Simply put, for the first decade of the franchise, Nash was CBJ hockey, running away with just about every franchise record during his nine-season career, making five All-Star games and winning the gold medal on Canada’s fabled 2010 team in Vancouver. He had a borderline Hall of Fame career – posting 289 goals and 547 of his points in union blue – before retiring and joining the CBJ front office. Heavy expectations come with being the No. 1 overall pick, but it’s fair to say Nash delivered.
Honorable mention
Marc Methot (sixth round, 2003); Jared Boll (fourth round, 2005); Derek Dorsett (seventh round, 2006); Matt Calvert (fifth round, 2008); David Savard (fourth round, 2009); Ryan Johansen (first round, 2010); Josh Anderson (fourth round, 2012); Vladislav Gavrikov (sixth round, 2015); Kirill Marchenko (second round, 2018); Dmitri Voronkov (fourth round, 2019)
