Before June 28, Victor Hedin Raftheim admits his knowledge of the Columbus Blue Jackets was largely limited to watching highlights of Zach Werenski.
Growing up half a world away in Sweden, that’s probably not too much of a surprise. But if you’re a defenseman with some size and skill who hopes to make it in the NHL, you could do worse than watch one of the best blueliners in the world in the Norris Trophy finalist.
“I have always been following Zach Werenski, actually,” Hedin Raftheim said. “But not that much (about the Blue Jackets) besides Zach Werenski. Now I need to explore a bit on Columbus and get to know something.”
Hedin Raftheim began that process after he was taken in the sixth round of the 2025 draft by the Blue Jackets. He also quickly learned that Columbus had drafted a fellow Swedish defenseman, Malte Vass, in the third round of June’s selection process.
Though the two each spent much of last season in Sweden’s J20 Nationell – the under-20 level for skaters in the country – they didn’t know each other personally. Hedin Raftheim grew up in Stockholm and plays for Byrnas IF in Gavle along the Gulf of Bothnia on the country's east coast, while Vass grew up in the center of the country in Karlstad and skates for Farjestad near his hometown.
That changed in the moments after their selections were announced a couple hours apart, as the two quickly became fast friends before boarding a plane together to come to Columbus for the team’s early-July development camp.
“I added him on Snapchat the day I got drafted,” Hedin Raftfeim said. “That was the first time we talked, but we’re good friends now. We met at the airport, and we took the flight here. He’s a really nice guy and good to talk to.”
While Hedin Raftheim has spent the past couple of weeks learning more about Columbus and his new team, the Blue Jackets have been quite familiar with him. In particular, Blue Jackets amateur scout Oscar Akerlund has been a senior advisor with Byrnas the past two seasons and has been able to watch Hedin Raftheim’s development up close.
In fact, it was Akerlund who pushed for the Blue Jackets to select the blueliner, and the one made the call to Hedin Raftheim to let him know he had been drafted, capping what had been a day on the golf course for the prospect.
“I was on the golf course, and then I went home and I just sat on my sofa with my mother and my brother,” he said. “Then the Swedish scout called me and was like, ‘Are you ready to go to Columbus?’ I was like, ‘Hell yeah!’ And then we just screamed.”
The 6-4, 190-pound left-shot defenseman didn’t produce much on the score sheet a season ago, posting a goal and three assists in 34 games with the U-20 team, but there might be a good reason for that. Hedin Raftheim is just 17 years old, as he won’t turn 18 until Aug. 19, making him rather young for the level.
Given the youngster's combination of size and mobility, the Blue Jackets decided to take him with the 173rd overall pick, and he feels like he brings a lot to the table but knows he has to lean into his size to make it to the NHL.
“I’m a two-way defenseman,” Hedin Raftheim said. “This year I’ve been focusing more on the defensive part. The year before this, I was kind of an offensive defenseman, but now I try to go a different way and be more of a defensive defenseman because of my size. I’m 6-4. If I come here, I will be a defensive defenseman, but good on both sides of the ice. I do a good job working the puck and passing, and sometimes I try to be physical.”
One thing that should help in that regard is that his father is a strength coach, and Blue Jackets assistant director of amateur scouting Trevor Timmins said that was one of the reasons the team felt comfortable with the pick. Given the tools at Hedin Raftheim’s disposal, the Blue Jackets can trust he’s on the right path to develop physically.
“My dad is really helpful,” Hedin Raftheim said. “Every day, I talk to my dad. When I’m at Byrnas and he’s in Stockholm, we talk every day about everything. He’s a really big part of my life, and I think he will help me a lot going forward.”
Hedin Raftheim has a long way to go to be a player like Werenski, but he hopes to make an impact down the road for the Blue Jackets just like one of his favorite players to watch. In the meantime, you can expect he’ll continue to follow the Jackets and their standout defenseman.
“(I watch) a lot of highlights,” Hedin Raftheim said. “At the Four Nations, he was really good, so I watched every game there for him. I really like his hockey sense and offensive capability.”
