Who did the Blue Jackets select in the 2022 NHL draft?
Almost exactly 12 hours after the first round of the NHL draft ended Thursday evening in Montreal, day two kicked off at 11 a.m. Friday with 193 picks still to be made.
After selecting defensemen David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk with the sixth and 12th picks, the Blue Jackets entered Friday with four picks remaining, one each in the second, third, fourth and seventh rounds — Nos. 44, 96, 109, and 203 overall. They then traded a 2023 fifth round pick for the No. 138 pick, giving them seven total selections in this draft.
NHL draft: Who is David Jiricek, the Blue Jackets' pick at sixth overall?
NHL draft: Who is Denton Mateychuk, the Blue Jackets' pick at 12th overall?
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said prior to the draft that his approach is always to select the best player available, which is what led to taking two defensemen in the first round. That approach carries through rounds two through seven, though Kekalainen did allow that if two players are tied on their board, they may consider position as a tie-breaker.
Blue Jackets select Luca Del Bel Belluz with No. 44 pick
To open the second day of the draft, the Jackets selected center Luca Del Bel Belluz from the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads. Del Bel Belluz ranked eighth on NHL Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters and was in the conversation to be selected in the late first round.
Knowing he could go as high as the late 20s made Thursday night into Friday morning an anxious wait.
"It’s definitely a relief," Del Bel Belluz said. "I was definitely a bundle of nerves yesterday and this morning. I actually didn’t have breakfast this morning, couldn’t keep anything down. Just came here and we’re here now, so it’s been great."
Del Bel Belluz, who is 6-0 and 179 pounds, scored 30 goals and collected 46 assists for 76 total points in 60 regular-season games with Mississauga this year. Known for his puck skills and his shot, Del Bel Belluz is a strong scorer in the OHL and considered to have strong vision of the ice. His skating is a drawback, but the Jackets have shown in the past that they aren't scared off by skating that needs development.
"I think for me just getting in the gym and working on that speed is the biggest thing," Del Bel Belluz said. "I’m doing that right now and really focusing on it. I’m already taking strides."
Blue Jackets select Jordan Dumais with No. 96 pick
Dumais, a right wing from the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, is only 5-8, but that didn't stop him from putting up over 100 points this season. In 68 regular-season games, he scored 30 goals and tallied an eye-popping 79 assists to total 109 points, the third-most in the league and most by a draft-eligible player.
Dumais was quite low on NHL Central Scouting's list, ranked 73rd heading into the draft, but The Athletic's Scott Wheeler is much higher on Dumais, slotting him at No. 33 on his board.
"Dumais is small and his extensions through his stride need some cleaning up (they can look stunted and drag at the toe caps), but he’s a tremendously hardworking player who has produced at the top of his age group for years, with a wide-ranging offensive game that allows him to create offense in a variety of ways," Wheeler wrote. "He’ll beat you with a quick give-and-go on one shift, a standstill pass on the next, a dance to the high slot on the next, and quick hands and determination around the net on the next."
Draft analyst Chris Peters wrote that Dumais is one of the best playmakers in the draft. Though he's a smaller player, he has the kind of work ethic that can carry smaller players to roles in the NHL.
"I think my whole career, I’ve always had something to prove," Dumais said. "I’ve always had motivation. I’ve never ran out of it."
Blue Jackets select Kirill Dolzhenkov with No. 109 pick
The opposite of Dumais, Kirill Dolzhenkov is one of the largest players in this draft class at 6-6 and over 230 pounds. A right wing who played this season with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva in the Russian junior league, he scored 14 goals and added 14 assists for 28 points in 33 games.
The Athletic's Corey Pronman listed Dolzhenkov at No. 68 on his board. He was No. 22 on Central Scouting's list of European skaters.
"It’s easy to spot Dolzhenkov on the ice as a 6-6 forward with skill," Pronman wrote. "He can put pucks through legs and sticks at a high rate and create around the net. I wouldn’t call him a dynamic playmaker but I’ve seen him make tough plays that show strong hockey sense. He’s not afraid to use his size to win battles and can PK. Dolzhenkov’s major flaw is his skating. He has a heavy stride that will be an issue as he advances levels."
Blue Jackets select Sergei Ivanov with No. 138 pick
The Jackets traded a 2023 fifth round pick to get into the fifth round of this year's draft and took goaltender Sergei Ivanov with the pick. This draft is considered a weak year for goalies, but Ivanov put up solid numbers at the junior level in Russia with SKA St. Petersburg.
He went 14-7-4 in the regular season with four shutouts, a 2.17 goals against average and a save percentage of .928. In the playoffs, Ivanov went 12-1-2 with two shutouts, a 2.10 goals against average and a save percentage of .931.
In 2021, Ivanov was named the top goaltender at the U18 World Championships as a 16-year-old. The drawback of Ivanov is that he's 5-11, which is below average for an NHL goalie.
Former Jackets goalie Nicklas Backstrom, who is the team's European goaltending development coach, isn't concerned about Ivanov's height.
"There’s always a risk," Backstrom said. "But there’s a chance that when he comes over he’s going to be 6-1, 6-2. There’s always a chance he’ll grow. But this is a kid we’ve been following for a while. Pretty much from the start of this season, he’s been at the top of our list, so we’re really happy we got him."
Nashville's Juuse Saros is the only current NHL goalie under six feet tall, which makes him a popular comparable for shorter goalie prospects.
"You like to compare those under-6-foot goalies to Saros," Backstrom said. "I don’t know if he’s going to be a Saros. I hope. But he’s got that athletic build. He reads the game well. He doesn’t get in trouble, size-wise."
Blue Jackets select James Fisher with No. 203 pick
With their final pick in the 2022 draft, the Jackets chose right wing James Fisher out of Belmont Hill in the Massachusetts high school league. In 27 games this year, the 6-2, 194-pound forward scored 17 goals and tallied 11 assists for 28 points.
Fisher is committed to Northeastern and is expected to start there in 2023. The Youngstown Phantoms own his USHL rights, so he'll likely go there this fall.
"I'm a 200-foot power forward," Fisher said. "I can play up and down the lineup, top six, bottom six. Can score goals, kill penalties. Forecheck. Anything you need. Kind of a utility guy. Can score goals, too, so I think that’s a big part."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Which players Blue Jackets selected in 2022 NHL draft
