Don Waddell might have trouble finding Trevor Timmins today.
The Blue Jackets possess the Nos. 14 and 20 picks in the first round of the NHL draft tonight, and as the old saying goes, the draft is like the Super Bowl for the amateur scouts who travel thousands of miles each year to file their reports on the players available.
Waddell certainly understands that in his role as the Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager, but his job is also to make the team better in any way he can.
CBJ DRAFT HUB: RSVP for the draft party at Nationwide Arena and read our draft coverage
So as respectful as Waddell is of the job the team’s scouting staff has done, that might mean trading a draft pick or two in the interest of adding some immediate help, something he’s acknowledged is very much is on the table.
If that ends up becoming reality, Timmins joked he won't want to hear it.
“We’re trying to steer away from (Waddell),” the CBJ assistant director of amateur scouting said with a laugh. “We’re hiding from him.
“No, whatever’s best for the team. We do our job as an amateur scouting staff together and try to restock the cupboards here and be ready to have some players to eventually move up and be able to help the team, but we fully understand. We all want to win, and we all want to help the team win.”
All kidding aside, the Blue Jackets enter Friday’s draft with a bevy of options in front of them. With a roster full of young talent, those two first-round picks and a large amount of cap space, the Blue Jackets will look at every possible way to improve the squad over the coming days and have the ability to do so.
As Waddell acknowledged Thursday, he’s been approached with offers for each of his first two picks, as well as fielded queries as to whether he’d like to move up to make a selection. Nothing has come to fruition yet, but Waddell will only make a move if he thinks it’s the right one for the franchise.
“We’re not just gonna trade the picks because I said we’re going to trade them,” he said Thursday. “We’re gonna trade them if it means meaningful trades for our hockey club. Our goal is to make our hockey club better today, but we gotta guard the future too, so if we end up keeping both picks and picking them, then we’ll get players for the future.
“I’m still pretty confident that there’s something that’s gonna break here ... before the draft. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll move forward.”
Time will tell how things will shake out, but as it stands this morning, the Blue Jackets are set to pick twice in the first 20 picks. So what should CBJ fans know about the big day?
Schedule of Events
The draft will kick off tonight at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. ET, with round one taking place this evening; rounds two through seven are tomorrow starting at 12 p.m. ET.
Friday night’s first round will be televised on ESPN, while Saturday’s action can be viewed on NHL Network and ESPN+.
Blue Jackets Selections
Here’s a look at the eight choices Columbus owns in the draft.
- First round: 14th overall, 20th overall*
- Second round: None*
- Third round: 77th overall
- Fourth round: 109th overall
- Fifth round: 160th overall*
- Sixth round: 173rd overall
- Seventh round: 205th overall, 218th overall*
*The 20th overall selection was acquired from Minnesota in a 2024 trade that sent David Jiricek to the Wild; the 160th overall selection was acquired Thursday in exchange for Daniil Tarasov; and the 218th overall selection was acquired along with Michael Hutchinson in a 2023 trade that sent Jonathan Quick to the Golden Knights.
The second-round choice was traded to Philadelphia as part of a 2023 trade that acquired Ivan Provorov; the team's original fifth-round choice was traded to the Wild as part of the Jiricek deal.
Consensus Top Players
Each year, I compile a consensus poll of the top 32 prospects in the draft, based on where notable analysts have ranked the best players available. You can see the whole list here along with the players' accomplishments and statistics, but here's a quick look at the top 20. (Heights and weights as well as positions are those measured at the NHL Scouting Combine and provided by NHL Central Scouting, respectively.)
- LHD Matthew Schaefer | 6-2, 186 | Erie (OHL)
- C Michael Misa | 6-1, 182 | Saginaw (OHL)
- RW Porter Martone | 6-3, 204 | Brampton (OHL)
- C James Hagens | 5-10½, 186 | Boston College (NCAA)
- C Caleb Desnoyers | 6-1½, 178 | Moncton (QMJHL)
- C Anton Frondell | 6-1¼, 204 | Djurgårdens IF (Sweden)
- RW Victor Eklund | 5-11, 169 | Djurgårdens IF (Sweden)
- C Jake O'Brien | 6-1½, 177 | Brantford (OHL)
- C Brady Martin | 6-0, 186 | Soo (OHL)
- C Roger McQueen | 6-5¼, 198 | Brandon (WHL)
- LHD Jackson Smith | 6-4, 199 | Tri-City (WHL)
- RHD Radim Mrtka | 6-5¾, 218 | Seattle (WHL)
- LW Carter Bear | 6-0, 179 | Everett (WHL)
- LHD Kashawn Aitcheson | 6-1½, 199 | Barrie (OHL)
- RW Justin Carbonneau | 6-1¼, 205 | Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
- LW Lynden Lakovic | 6-4, 200 | Moose Jaw (WHL)
- C Cole Reschny | 5-10¾, 180 | Victoria (WHL)
- C Braeden Cootes | 5-11½, 186 | Seattle (WHL)
- LHD Cameron Reid | 6-0, 183 | Kitchener (OHL)
- C Ben Kindel | 5-10¼, 180 | Calgary (WHL)
The Vibe
The presumed No. 1 overall selection in the draft has changed in the eyes of scouts and analysts throughout much of the past season, but going into tonight’s action, the consensus is that Schaefer will be taken by the New York Islanders with the top pick. After that, though, it could be an interesting draft to follow, as most observers agree there are good players to be had but not as much depth to the draft as in previous seasons. The top tier of players runs seven deep, Waddell said, so that dividing line could be an interesting way to force teams’ hands. The center position seems to be particularly well-stocked this time around, which could factor into teams’ decision making as well.
Storylines To Follow
Will chaos ensue? Some draft insiders have talked on social media about how this could be one of the more interesting – and perhaps entertaining – first rounds in quite some time. While this isn’t considered to be the deepest draft, there’s talent at the top, and just about every NHL team is actively trying to get better. Add in a lackluster free agent class and teams likely feel their best route to improve is through trades, and what better time to make a deal than the draft? That could make Friday night a lot of fun if you’re in the mood to see some deals.
How will the goalies go? There hasn’t been a goaltender taken in the first round since 2021, simply because of how unpredictable goalies are and how long the development path can be. But many observers see WHL netminder Joshua Ravensbergen as a potential first-round talent, while others see Jack Ivankovic (OHL) and Russian netminders Pyotr Andreyanov and Semyon Frolov as impressive options as well. There might be a run between the pipes much earlier than we’re used to seeing.
Will Sascha Boumedienne be a first-round pick? The AAA Blue Jackets have had two products taken in the opening round – Connor Murphy (2011) and Jack Roslovic (2015) – and the Boston University defenseman could be the third. The son of former CBJ coach and scout Josef Boumedienne, Sascha spent two years in the AAA program and has already made an impact on the international stage, setting the IIHF World U-18 Championship scoring record for a defenseman. It’s another sign of the special things happening in Columbus that he could be a first-round pick; it would be even sweeter for many if he ended up with the Blue Jackets.
Three Potential Choices at 14th Overall
Every year in this space, we make a few guesses who the Blue Jackets might select with their picks. It’s worth a shot, right?
Kashawn Aitcheson: Rated 14th in our consensus poll, he’s a defenseman who can change the game both with his scoring ability (26 goals this past season) and physicality. The Blue Jackets spent much of last summer's draft restocking the pipeline on the blue line, and as the Panthers proved in winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup this summer, you can never have too much edge and grit in your game. Some see Aitcheson as a borderline top-10 pick; if he’s available at 14, he might be too much to pass up.
Carter Bear: Speaking of edge, that’s the name of Bear’s game, as he’s not blessed with elite size (6-0) but brings a high motor to the game. Though the wing suffered a partially cut Achilles tendon late in his season, Bear had an excellent year that included 40 goals and 82 points in 56 games. He can score both from the netfront and from distance, and he projects as someone who can play a solid 200-foot game.
Lyndon Lakovic: Many mock drafts have predicted Lakovic will go to the Blue Jackets, and it’s not hard to see why. He brings excellent size to the table at 6-4, not to mention some scoring touch with 58 points in 47 games this past season in Moose Jaw. The Blue Jackets will be familiar with his game after watching Denton Mateychuk lead the Warriors to the WHL title back in 2023-24, and Lakovic would add another big body to the CBJ prospect pool.
Three Potential Choices at 20th Overall
Cole Reschny: Analysts keep being impressed by Reschny’s game, and the center moved up draft boards as the season went by. His postseason with Victoria of the WHL was most impressive, as Reschny posted nine goals and 25 points in 11 games. He checks in at just under 6-feet tall, so size isn’t his true calling card, but Reschny would bring a 200-foot game and a relentless motor to the table while adding to the Jackets’ strength down the middle.
Braeden Cootes: Cootes may be cut from the same cloth as Reschny, as he’s a WHL pivot who checks in at just under 6-0 (5-11½) and brings scoring ability, energy and dependability to the table. He has leadership skills – Cootes was the captain of the Canadian team at the World U-18 Championship – and some view him as a potential top-15 pick, so if he’s available here, he could be a good pickup.
Logan Hensler: The University of Wisconsin defenseman was mocked to the Blue Jackets in a number of drafts, and it would make sense. A right-shot blueliner with size (6-2½, 198), Hensler is a U.S. National Team Development Team product with excellent mobility who projects as a two-way defenseman. Time will tell exactly how much offensive upside is there, but Hensler would continue to add to the depth on the blue line.
