The 2018 NHL Draft is in the books, and the Blue Jackets made six picks in total:
| ROUND | PICK # | PLAYER NAME |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | LIAM FOUDY (F, LONDON) |
| 2 | 49 | KIRILL MARCHENKO (F, KHANTY-MANSIYSK) |
| 3 | 80 | MARCUS KARLBERG (F, LEKSANDS IF) |
| 6 | 159 | TIM BERNI (D, GCK ZURICH) |
| 6 | 173 | VEINI VEHVILAINEN (G, JYP/SPORT) |
| 7 | 204 | TREY FIX-WOLANSKI (F, EDMONTON) |
And, now for some quotes from Kekalainen (via Jackets TV):
On making the picks where they did: "We pay our scouts to do the job that they do, so as far as changing our list based on Central Scouting, not at all. We don't do our rankings based on anyone else's rankings.
On being familiar with first-rounder Liam Foudy: "Basil and Phil McRae had watched (Foudy) since he was 14. We've known this kid for a long time, so whether he came on in the second half of the OHL, doesn't make that much of a difference to us."
On getting the draft class to Columbus for development camp: "Everybody's been contacted and everybody is supposed to jump on the flight (to Columbus) tomorrow. It's not an evaluation camp in July, it's an educational camp, fun...we teach them what it means to be a pro. We'll evaluate them when we get to the hockey season, not in July."
