Looking at the Last 25 No. 22 Overall Picks and Seeing How They Fared in the NHL

The Blue Jackets have two first-round picks in the upcoming NHL Draft, which takes place on June 28-29 in Nashville, Tennessee. They own the third overall pick, and now the No. 22 overall pick, which originally belonged to the Los Angeles Kings but was traded to Columbus in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov at the trade deadline. 

Since 1998, the No. 22 picks have been a bit of a mixed bag. Let's dive into them and see what the chances are that the player the Blue Jackets could draft, if they even decide to use that pick, can be a contributor. 

The standard for what is a "solid" pick here will be much lower than what it was for the No. 3 overall picks we went through last week, just for reference. And for context, all stats will be from the regular season unless noted otherwise.

RELATED Looking at the Last 25 No. 3 Overall Picks and Seeing How They Fared in the NHL

1998: Simon Gagne, LW, Philadelphia Flyers

Gagne was a slam dunk pick for the Flyers, playing in 822 games and posting 291-310--601. He made the All-Rookie first team in 2000 and won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012. 

1999: Maxime Ouellett, G, Philadelphia Flyers

Ouellett did not pan out as well for the Flyers as Gagne did, as he appeared in just 12 NHL games, posting a record of 2-6-2 along with a .903 SV% and 3.08 GAA. 

2000: David Hale, D, New Jersey Devils

Hale had a decent career, playing in 327 games over seven seasons, scoring 4-25--29.

2001: Jiri Novotny, C, Buffalo Sabres

Novotny played just 189 NHL games, including 107 with the Blue Jackets from 2007-08 to 2008-09, and scored a total of 20-31--51 in four seasons.

2002: Sean Bergenheim, LW, New York Islanders

Bergenheim is the second player on this list to eclipse the 500-game plateau, which is a nice accomplishment, especially for a late first-round pick. In nine seasons, he posted 96-84--180.

2003: Marc Pouliot, C, Edmonton Oilers

Pouliot played in 192 games and registered 21-36--57 over a seven-year career. It's a tough pick to swallow for the Oilers, as the next two picks, Ryan Kesler and Mike Richards, both were stars at the NHL level.

2004: Lukas Kaspar, RW, San Jose Sharks

Kaspar played in just 16 games over two seasons, scoring 2-2--4.

2005: Matt Lashoff, D, Boston Bruins

Over five NHL seasons, Lashoff appeared in 74 games and posted 1-15--16.

2006: Claude Giroux, C, Philadelphia Flyers

Giroux is probably the best player on this list. He's still playing, has appeared in 1100 games, scored 329-673--1002, and finished in the top four of the Hart Trophy voting three times.

2007: Max Pacioretty, LW, Montreal Canadiens

Pacioretty is another phenomenal pick, as he, like Giroux, is still playing. In 855 games over 15 seasons, he's registered 326-319--645. He also won the Masterton Trophy in 2012. 

2008: Jordan Eberle, RW, Edmonton Oilers

This is the third-straight great pick. Eberle has played in 940 games and doesn't seem to be anywhere close to being done, registering 282-376--658 over 13 seasons.

2009: Jordan Schroeder, C, Vancouver Canucks

Schroeder played in 165 games over six seasons, scoring 18-24--42. He last played in the NHL in 2017-18 with the Blue Jackets.

2010: Jarred Tinordi, D, Montreal Canadiens

Tinordi is still in the NHL and has played in 153 games and scored 4-17--21 across eight seasons.

2011: Tyler Biggs, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Biggs never played in the NHL.

2012: Olli Maatta, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

Maatta just finished his 10th year in the NHL. He's played in 612 games, scored 36-123--159, and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins. 

2013: Emile Poirier, LW, Calgary Flames

Poirier played in just eight games over two seasons, posting 0-1--1.

2014: Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins

Kapanen had carved out a nice career, playing in 387 games over eight seasons and scoring 78-108--186.

2015: Ilya Samsonov, G, Washington Capitals

Samsonov has played four seasons in the NHL, posting a record of 79-32-13 in 131 games along with a .908 SV% and a 2.65 GAA. 

2016: German Rubtsov, C, Philadelphia Flyers

Rubtsov made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season, playing in four games while failing to register a point.

2017: Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Edmonton Oilers

Yamamoto has become a full-time NHL contributor for Edmonton over the past few years. In six seasons, he's played in 244 games and scored 50-68--118.

2018: K'Andre Miller, D, New York Rangers

Miller has established himself as a star over the past two seasons. In 214 games across three seasons, he's registered 21-54--75.

2019: Tobias Bjornfot, D, Los Angeles Kings

Bjornfot has played 116 games over four seasons, posting 1-14--15.

2020: Hendrix Lapierre, C, Washington Capitals

Lapierre has scored 1-0--1 in six NHL games so far and posted 15-15--30 in 60 AHL games this season.

2021: Xavier Bourgault, C, Edmonton Oilers

Bourgault has yet to make his NHL debut but registered 13-21--34 in 62 AHL games in 2022-23 in his first professional season.

2022: Nathan Gaucher, C, Anaheim Ducks

Gaucher hasn't made it to the NHL yet, but he posted 22-24--46 in 44 games this season with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL.

If Blue Jackets make the 22nd pick in the draft, there's no guarantee that they will get a contributor. But, it's not like the chances of drafting one are slim, either. Of the 22 players listed that have played in the NHL, 16 have played at least 100 games, while 10 have played at least 200. 

It will be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets either make this pick, trade it to move in the draft, or trade it for an established player. By the end of the night on June 28, we will have our answer.