Blue Jackets Draft Re-Cap
The Blue Jackets
didn’t add too much star power during the NHL draft but they acquired some
solid young talent along with former Ohio
State player and
up-and-comer R.J. Umberger, who returns home after playing three seasons with
the Philadelphia Flyers.
By Eric Geier
R.J. Umberger
On June 20th,
Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson announced that the Blue Jackets acquired R.J.
Umberger, a center from Philadelphia
who they hope will be a star when he is paired with the phenom Rick Nash. The Jackets also acquired the 118th
pick along with Umberger in exchange for the 19th and 67th
overall picks.
Umberger has
appeared in 228 total games, all with the Flyers. He has registered 49 goals
and 67 assists while racking up 78 penalty minutes. The Jackets are banking on
Umberger as a player who is just reaching his prime. Just this past season he
had 13 goals and 37 assists. The assists are what really count. The Jackets
have lacked a set-up man for many years, and Umberger’s ability to find open
passing lanes in scoring situations is just what the Blue Jackets need.
Nikita Filatov
Nikita Filatov
was the number one European prospect coming out of Russia with his incredible puck
handling skills and flash-like speed (check the youtube clips). In the World Junior Championships, Filatov
led the Russian squad with nine points in seven games en route to the silver
medal. Though many believe he can play in the NHL next season, his size is an
issue. Filatov stands at five feet ten inches and weighs only 170 pounds.
Filatov definitely needs to fill out some before he enters the league and has
to face the likes of, oh say, Boston’s
ZdenoChara, the beast of a man who stands nearly seven feet on skates.
The Rest of the Picks
No. 37 Cody Goloubef, D,
University of Wisconsin (WCHA) - Goloubef, 18, was the youngest player in the
WCHA last year and the second-youngest in Division I hockey. He was ranked No.
34 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
No. 107 Steven Delisle, D,
Gatineau (QMJHL) - Delisle, who is ranked No. 171 among North
American skaters, turns 18 on July 30 and just finished his rookie year in the
QMJHL with six goals and 23 points in 70 games. He’s a hulking 6-foot-6 and 209
pounds.
No. 118 Drew Olson, D, Brainerd
H.S. (Minnesota) - Olson is a
5-11, 215-pound defenseman who had 17 goals and 16 assists and was a finalist
for Minnesota’s
Mr. Hockey Award. He is headed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth next year.
No. 127 Matthew Calvert, LW,
Brandon (WHL) - Calvert had 69 points in 78 games for the Wheat Kings as a rookie
this past season.
No. 135 Tomas Kubalik, RW, Plzen
(Czech) - Kubalik is a prospect out of the Czech Republic who played 20 games
with Plzen last year and had one goal and two assists.
No. 137 Brent Regner, D,
Vancouver (WHL) - Regner just finished his second season in Vancouver with eight
goals and 39 assists in 72 games.
No. 157 Cameron Atkinson, RW, Avon Old Farms (USHS) - The 5-9 winger scored 26 goals
and 63 points in 28 games for Avon Old Farms.
No. 187 Sean Collins, C, Waywayseecappo (MJHL) - Collins was
an All-Star this past year in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He finished
the season with 51 goals and 64 assists.
The Rest of
the Picks Section Courtesy of BlueJackets.com