Jackets 2012 Draft Review

[Virtual Jarmo]

With the rebuild well underway, the Jackets had more first round picks to play with this summer than in any other summer in EHEC. They took advantage of it by drafting some players who may take a while to get to Columbus, but will definitely make an impact when they do. Here's a scouting report of Columbus's seven draft picks:

1st round, 6th overall (acquired in Rick Nash trade): Brendan Gaunce - Gaunce is a project at this point, but looks to be a solid two-way player when fully developed. He's very rough around the edges and will probably spend this season in Springfield, trying to develop as a part-time player. He's already showing leadership qualities and just needs to take his time developing into a very good top six forward.

Burke: We feel that Brendan is probably a year and a half away, and we knew that when we drafted him. In terms of upside, he was the top player on the board and the one who we could project the best. When he fully develops, he's a big kid with good skill and tenacity.

1st round, 19th overall: Cristoval Nieves - Nieves is a prep school player who needs a lot of development time and some parts of his game to improve before he can be counted on. But, from a development standpoint, if he gets to where he needs to be, he will be the type of player that teams around the league will always ask about in trade talks.

Burke: Cristoval is probably further away than Gaunce is. He's really rough around the edges and should really be going to college. That's where we'll send him for this season. He'll play in training camp with us and then further his game at the NCAA level. Like Gaunce, we like his two-way capability and his size.

1st round, 27th overall: Derrick Pouliot - Pouliot might be the most gifted defenseman in this year's draft class from an offensive standpoint, but has some defensive issues and can get lazy at times. He's undersized for a defenseman, but his offensive gifts are very clear.

Burke: Derrick's a kid we think fits well with the guys we already have. We have a good amount of defensive defensemen and that makes a guy like Derrick valuable. He can play on the powerplay and make a lot of strong passes. Our powerplay hasn't been as good as we'd hoped for the last couple of seasons, so, we felt we should address it.

2nd round, 32nd overall (acquired in Nicklas Grossman trade): Stefan Matteau - Matteau, son of former NHLer Stephane, has the bloodlines, the toughness, and looks like he may be the quickest contributor from the 2012 draft. He's a talented scorer, but doesn't have much of an offensive game. He'll be great in a third line role.

Burke: Stefan is a gamer. We like his attitude, we like his grit. With Liedes developing better than we thought, we're going to have some good third liners with scoring upside.

2nd round, 37th overall (Nash trade): Anthony Stolarz - Stolarz, a goaltender who is quite a ways away, will not be counted on quickly, but should be a top-tier NHL backup and a potential starting goaltender in the future. He's a big kid with a lot of upside, but needs at least a couple years of seasoning.

Burke: Stolarz was a bit of a gamble. There were other players on the board that would have been closer to helping us, but he projects as the most consistent goaltender in his group. We like the idea of having a reliable backup and he'll be a good one.

6th round, 177th overall: Cody Corbett - Corbett, some scouts feel, could be one of the steals of the draft. He has a long way to go development-wise, but has the opportunity to really contribute as a sixth-round pick. He shows good two-way skill and may be a bottom-pairing guy in the future.

Burke: We went aggressive in this draft and Corbett's another one of those picks. He's a boom or bust player who, even with a boom, is a role player for us. That said, if you get NHL contributions from late round picks, those can help your team.

7th round, 207th overall: Nikita Kvartalnov - Kvartalnov is a Russian forward with a lot of upside for when he was taken in the draft. He may never amount to much, but if he does, he could be a powerplay forward with limited even strength ice time.

Burke: Worth a shot at that point. Nobody wanted to touch him because of his defensive liability, but we figured we'd take a chance. I like his work ethic and consistency for a Russian-born player. Even if he doesn't get to the NHL, he's a guy who will dominate offensively in the AHL.