With the 76th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Blue Jackets have selected Färjestad BK (Sweden) left-shot defenseman Malte Vass.
Here’s what you should know about the newest CBJ blueliner in the moments after his draft pick.
The Vass file: The Blue Jackets moved up in the draft to make this selection, as Vass is a big (6-2½, 195), physical, mean defenseman who projects as a defensive blueliner at the NHL level. He won’t bring much offensively, posting a 2-9-11 line and 53 penalty minutes in 40 games with Färjestad’s under-20 team this past season while making five scoreless appearances with the senior squad, but his defensive abilities are strong enough to make up for it. Rated 17th on NHL Central Scouting’s International skaters list, Vass was also a member of Sweden’s squad that took part in the IIHF World U-18 Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup and has played in the Champions Hockey League with the Färjestad in Europe.
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How he fits: The Blue Jackets have turned a focus to the blue line in recent drafts, using four of their six picks on defensemen a year ago and adding Jackson Smith with a first-round pick this season. As we wrote yesterday, you can never have too many defensemen, and Vass projects as someone who can fill a bottom-four role down the road and shut down opposing teams when the physicality turns up at the end of the season.
What do the analysts say? Vass was ranked as the 64th overall prospect in the draft by EliteProspects.com, 67th by TSN analyst Craig Button and 68th in the list produced by TSN expert Bob McKenzie. Ethan Lindley of Dobber Prospects writes, “Malte Vass is a big, mobile defenseman that flashes the ability to start rushes with his feet. A nasty defender, Vass loves to take his opponents hard into the wall whenever he has the opportunity too, almost to a fault.” Felix Robbins of McKeen's Hockey noted him as a potential NHL draft sleeper, writing, “I love Vass as a long-term project. Big, mean, and strong. Eager to punish puck carriers skating down his side of the ice. Decent defensive reads that will only get better with reps. Beautiful, long skating strides. Even though his straight-line speed and acceleration need work, he’s got a lot of headroom for growth.”
Get to know him: At the combine, Vass said he compares his game to Dallas defenseman Lian Bichsel, another big, physical blueliner. Per Wikipedia, his hometown of Karlstad is built on the river delta where Sweden's longest river, Klarälven, runs into Sweden's largest lake, Vänern. Karlstad is often associated with sunshine and the symbol for Karlstad is a smiling sun.
What’s next: As a third-round pick, Vass is still likely a few years away from contributing at the NHL level, and he’ll continue to progress over the coming seasons. Vass is headed to North America to continue his development, as he’ll play at Boston University with a bevy of other NHL draft picks this upcoming season. While his defensive fundamentals are strong, Vass will continue to work on quickness and skating to get ready for the NHL level.
