It was a long and arduous task but myself, Paul Berthelot and Dan Dukart finally completed our Top 20 prospects for the 2018 summer. The three of us discussed each player thoroughly and came to this list based on potential and what we thought the final product of each player would turn into – if and when they make the NHL.
The qualifications for prospects is any age and the player themselves still qualify if they have not played a seasons worth of games according to the NHL.
1. Vitali Abramov
2. Alexandre Texier
3. Elvis Merzlikins
4. Kirill Marchenko
5. Jonathan Davidsson
6. Liam Foudy
7. Vladislav Gavrikov
8. Gabriel Carlsson
9. Emil Bemstrom
10. Daniil Tarasov
11. Maxime Fortier
12. Andrew Peeke
13. Kevin Stenlund
14. Eric Robinson
15. Marcus Karlberg
16. Veini Vehvilainen
17. Tim Berni
18. Trey Fix-Wolansky
19. Calvin Thurkauf
20. Carson Meyer
Forwards
The most high-end players in the Blue Jackets prospect system find themselves on the frontline. They have the depth nailed down, and they have dynamic players as well. Unlike other areas of the system, they seem okay with taking risks on players that may or may not pan out.
They are willing to draft forwards that are big, small, fast and it doesn't appear that they care about where you're coming from, either. It looked like they may have been avoiding the OHL, but apparently it was a one-year hiatus.
With plenty of graduates, the depth is recovering and is still the most plentiful of all the positions. While plenty of players could step up and be difference-makers, projections for most outside the top five make it feel like the NHL will be an uphill battle.
Defense
Definitely the most concerning of the groups, the Blue Jackets have two "for sure" prospects in Gabriel Carlsson and Vladislav Gavrikov. Both are unremarkable and may not be ready to jump into a top-four role, but they both look to be completely fine on the bottom pairing in a pinch.
Further down the list, you begin to question the type of players that the Blue Jackets may be pursuing in the short term. Players like Ryan Collins should not be the focus for the Blue Jackets on defense, but seem to be what they have been leaning toward when selecting defensemen. Yet when they pick players that have mobility, they seem to hit more often than not. The priorities are a tad out of whack but could be rectified quickly.
Goalies
One of the better drafting strategies on the Blue Jackets' part has been selecting a goalie late and just let them percolate in whatever given league they are playing in. They have three goaltenders in the top 20 and a couple of others just on the outside that have a genuine chance to make the league. The potential is there, and the Blue Jackets don't seem to care about the league or your age one bit.
The Blue Jackets have done a solid job drafting late and have either been too conservative or too wild on a couple of their early draft picks. Specifically, in the second round outside of Alexandre Texier, the selections leave a lot to be desired. They aren't out of this world at drafting, but their collective ability to be ahead on certain recent trends like overagers or deciding to draft out of lesser known leagues shows that they're really doing anything they can to bring the best talent to Columbus.
After one successful season for the Cleveland Monsters, it will continue to be a compelling organization to monitor as an influx of young talent could bring the team up or leave them as basement dwellers. Development will continue to be crucial and the league has shown that once you're past 30, it doesn't matter what your name is if you don't perform you don't stick around. Younger players pushing others out is important and for the Blue Jackets to have success, it will need to be a continued trend.
