Columbus Blue Jackets 2015 Draft Review

[Virtual Jarmo]

Redemption, Remorse Fuel Burke's Return for EHEC Draft
By: Tito Crawford

"I just couldn't stay away."

That's how former Commissioner and current Columbus Blue Jackets GM Adam Burke opened his annual post-draft press conference with the assembled media at Nationwide Arena on Friday morning. Armed with a Tim Horton's hot chocolate and a rejuvenated smile, Burke extolled the virtues of his 2015 EHEC Entry Draft class. It took a bit longer than usual for Burke to get to the microphone to recap the draft because of a vacation he promised his fiancee before he agreed to return, but a beautiful day outside seemed to carry over to the mood inside. Reporters were happy to have Burke back, as his off-the-record quips pale in comparison to what he allows us to print, but he is one of the most affable and open executives in the league.

Armed with two first-round picks, Burke trusted in his local scouts and some newly-incorporated analytics data to set the draft off on the right foot.

"Right away, we knew we were going forward in the first round and we hoped that Ranty (Mikko Rantanen) would be there. We've always had an affinity for Finnish-born players because we like their work ethic and their subtle skill sets. Players that come out of Finland have a high hockey IQ and we appreciate that in our players." Burke pauses before adding, "Plus, he's a mother (expletive)."

He's not kidding. Rantanen, who was in town earlier this month for the team's annual development camp, is a monster of a young man at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds. Rantanen told us that he was interested in putting on weight to get stronger and adopt more of a power forward role. The organization is excited about that, but did caution Rantanen to maintain his soft hands, which have allowed him to be one of the top passers and stickhandlers in the draft.

"With our other first rounder, we wanted a kid with a lot of upside. Greeny (Jordan Greenway) should be that player. He's raw. He understands that and we understand that. But he gives a consistent effort and we think he has the ability to play up to his tools because of how hard he works. I don't want to saddle this kid with a lot of pressure, but he was the first selection that we made almost solely off of our analytics database. We looked at what he can become and think there's a potential boost there. Good skaters and gifted two-way players will always compete at this level."

A lack of trade activity from the Blue Jackets last season gave them a more conventional draft than usual. With their second-round pick, the Blue Jackets opted for what they felt was the safest player on the board, defenseman Noah Juulsen.

"Juuls is a guy that we don't expect huge things from, but you look at how teams win Stanley Cups and it's about being great at the top and deep at the bottom. Noah's a deceptively-strong player that can really lay the wood if need be. There's a feisty edge to his game. He's not a player that is going to bust and that's what we like the most. After taking a gamble late in the first round, we wanted a sure thing in the second."

Some people felt that the Blue Jackets gambled too much with third-round pick Kirill Kaprizov. After outing the people in the room that disagreed with the pick, Burke gave his side of the argument. "You know, this league is becoming more about skill. You'll notice that our first two picks are big guys with skill. It's not about kicking asses anymore. Some of the competitive balance changes have maximized the need for players that have speed, hands, and a finishing touch. Kappy can be that player. At five-ten and a buck eighty, we may need to protect him a little bit, but the skill plays. He can shoot, he can pass, and he's surprisingly disciplined for a player of his age and experience."

The Blue Jackets got several offers for their fourth-round selections, but ultimately made their picks. When asked about the trade talks, Burke said, "We wanted to trust our internal process. We did our scouting in different ways this season. It wasn't about studying their performance this season. We had scouts looking at the little things. Smart plays in the defensive zone. Responsible passes in the neutral zone. I don't even know how many goals or assists any of our guys had this past season. We're more concerned with puck possession. Shots generated. Points come when you combine talent with intelligence. Junior and collegiate stats can be really misleading. We stressed that to our scouts and I think everybody in the organization agreed with our plan and ran with it."

With the second pick in the fourth round, the Blue Jackets selected Andrew Nielsen. "It's not a slight of Nielsen to say that he doesn't have as much talent as others in the draft. He has other intangibles that we liked. He's a strong kid with more gristle than a bad steak, if you know what I mean. He'll fight, he'll punch. He'll protect Fucale or whoever we have by the time he's ready."

With the 103rd pick, the Blue Jackets took Tomas Soustal. "We couldn't believe Soustal was there. I don't know if 29 other guys were asleep at the wheel or what, but Sousty projects as a really consistent third-line RW for us. If you're getting that after 102 other players have been taken, you grab it and run. His skating needs some work and he's limited to the right side, but we're fine with that. His work ethic is second to none, as evidenced by his consistency."

Fifth-round pick Roger Karrer, surprisingly enough, may be the first player from this year's draft class to see time at the professional level. "We feel like Karrer could survive in Cleveland (AHL) as early as the upcoming season. He needs to put on a little weight and get a developmental boost, but there's some upside there. His awareness is on par with other minor leaguers in our system. I don't know if he has NHL upside, that'll be up to him to see if he rolls over to the next level, but we like the value."

In the sixth round, the Blue Jackets selected Alexandre Fortin and then took Yevgeni Nazarkin in the seventh round. With no real NHL prospects for those guys, nobody asked about them during the press conference. Fortin and Nazarkin could both be AHL regulars, but it was a successful draft long before those players heard their names announced.

Asked if he had any final thoughts on the draft class, Burke quipped, "You know, we've done some great things in the draft. Dylan McIlrath, Joonas Donskoi, Brendan Gaunce, Phil Danault. The goal is to be patient. To draft and develop. We felt that our last couple of drafts haven't been as productive, so we changed the way that we scouted and prepared. I'm excited to see where it goes and I hope you are as well."