Bobcats Official CBJ Prospect Pyramid

Team: 2022-23 Columbus Blue Jackets

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 27, 2022

Published: Sep. 27, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Earlier today, Steve Dangle made his official Leafs prospect pyramid, so it has me in a prospect state-of-mind. Here is my opinion on our prospect pool.

My definition of "prospect" is anyone under 24 years old that is on a contract less than $1M., let's go.


Tier A: Franchise Talents


Kent Johnson: This is pretty self-explanatory. I was very impressed by Kenny's work at the University of Michigan, and later in the Traverse City Prospect Tournament. All signs seem to point to him being the top-line playmaking C we would have KILLED to have when Rick Nash was around. If that doesn't happen, he'll be a good top-6 LW (which he played a lot of at Michigan due to Matty Beniers playing C).


Tier B: Core Pieces


Cole Sillinger: He was a lot more NHL-ready than i expected, playing a majority of the games and looking wise beyond his years (his wrist shot in particular has looked smooth as butter). I fully expect him to be our 2C going into 2022-23.

Kirill Marchenko: I've liked his play out in Russia. As a member of a stacked SKA St. Petersburg squad (featuring big names like Leo Komarov, Andrei Kuzmenko, Ivan Morozov and Marat Khusnutdinov) he scored 12 goals and 8 assists. At Traverse City, put up 3 goals and 2 assists in 3 games. Some more development in his scoring touch could make him a middle-6 (if not top-6) in a couple of years.

David Jiricek: The best RHD we have in our prospect pool. I was impressed by his play in the Prospect tournament, and later in his one preseason game so far. With a couple years' work, he could be the perfect foil for Zach Werenski on the top pairing.

Denton Mateychuk: I originally didn't like this pick. Denton played a more offensive style of game (a style of game that we don't need) and was left-handed (we had enough LHDs to supply like 3 teams). If we were gonna take a LHD, i would have preferred Lian Bichsel. Now that i have more info on him, i like it slightly more: his 200-foot game is something to be admired, and with a bit more work to his defense, could (at best) be a bottom-4 option (think 2LD).


Tier C: Depth Pieces


Yegor Chinakhov: Last year, i would have put him at Tier B, but last year's performance has me convinced we neutered his production a la Emil Bemstrom. Both Chinakhov and Sillinger were thrown in to sink or swim last year. Silli swam. Chinny sunk. So many goals called offsides... At most, he'll be a middle-6 option.

Corson Ceulemans: It's kinda hard to tell what Corson Ceulemans even is. Most of his film is offensive highlights, but his main quote on EliteProspects hails his defensive play. Other quotes from other scouting reports vary on what his skills are. I fully expect him to make an NHL roster, but what role would he fill? I don't necessarily know.

Jordan Dumais: Jordie Franchise WENT OFF last year in the QMJHL, scoring 109 points in 68 games as a member of the Halifax Mooseheads. He then got into the TCPT and had a strong showing again, almost scoring a hat trick in the first game (2 goals on his first 2 shifts), using his speed to show up everywhere at once, and showing his super-speedy wrist shot. The fact that we got him in the 3rd round boggles my mind to this day. Size may be considered an issue, but we specialize in short kings in the Blue Jackets organization. Just look how Cam Atkinson turned out.

Kirill Dolzhenkov: One word. SIZE. Man is literally a bear on skates, standing at 6'6" and weighing in at 234 lbs. He obviously is the strongest guy on the ice at any given time, and can push people around, but for a guy his size, he has good offensive positioning and passing ability, alongside respectable speed. I like him a lot.

James Malatesta: Another undersized winger, but with more speed than Dumais from what i could tell. Holy sh*t, is this guy fast. Good one-timer, good wrist shot, good positioning, good defensive pressure, and surprisingly isn't afraid to lay a hit in the corner. He's a very complete player.

Luca Del Bel Belluz: My new favorite name in hockey history (usurping that title from someone later on in this list. Fun fact: they were teammates at Mississauga). Stickhandling is very nice, as is passing. Wrist shot ain't too bad, either. He's someone Patrik Laine would appreciate on his side (either side, since Patty plays both wings).

Dmitri Voronkov: Dmitri is also very large, at 6'4", 190 lbs. He's extra aggressive, not afraid to throw the body around when he's on the ice. He's the type of player that John Tortorella would love. Haven't seen very many fights, or scoring highlights, so he could make a good 4th line center on a checking line.

Nicholas Blankenburg: A good RHD with a good scoring touch. His favorite play has to be a wrist shot dead-on in the slot. He scored his first NHL goal from there, and scored in the preseason from that exact same spot. Only real problem would be defensive play (slightly) and size (he's only 5'9".)

Stanislav Svozil: Him alongside Samuel Knazko and Ole Bjorgvik-Holm were kinda hard to gauge. Was he a C-tier, or was he a D-tier? Anyhow, Stan has played solid minutes in Regina, where he's shown himself to be a good defensive defenseman, with good passing skills and rush denial. For the sake of defensive strength, i hope he makes the NHL squad at one point or another.

Samuel Knazko: Sammy's in the same boat as Stan: Good on defense, refined passing skills, and excellent mobility. Next.

Jacob Christiansen: After going undrafted in 2018, he really exploded the next year in Everett, giving him a spot as a member of the Stockton Heat of the AHL. After that wasn't followed up with anything, we were lucky enough to pick him up. In an 8 game sample size in Columbus, he wasn't too bad. In Cleveland, he was one of the highest-scoring defensemen on the team. I expect him to be a part of a 3LD carousel with Jake Bean.


Tier D: Maybes


Trey Fix-Wolansky: Trey has done a solid job as a top-6 winger in Cleveland after tearing the WHL to SHREDS 3 years running before his draft year. His main problem is his size, but he makes up for it in speed and goal-scoring ability. He's only in the "maybe" category because i don't think he'll really do much at the NHL level with how our winger situation is (unless he just hits another level next season). On another team, he's a bottom-6 guy.

Tyler Angle: Tyler's in the same boat as TFW: Undersized, and in a rough position in terms of depth. Center is pretty loaded for us right now, and unless Tyler goes full Cam Atkinson, i doubt he'll make the NHL roster anytime soon. He hit a Michigan once, though. I think that's pretty cool.

Liam Foudy: This guy just makes me sad. We took him with a top 20 pick, Torts had a lot of faith in him, and all it led to was disappointment. He's fast, but doesn't really have anything else. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery, so i'd trade him to see if another team is the shot in the arm he needs to reach his full potential.

Ben Boyd: Benny-Boy's got heaps of grit. Most of the film i've seen of him is hits and fights. He has a smaller chance of making an NHL roster, but if he does, i'd think he'd be in the same boat as Dmitri Voronkov: A bottom-6 guy on a checking line.

Martin Rysavy: Marty's a big guy (6'3", 210 lbs). Very hard to knock off the puck, not afraid to throw the body around, and has dekes, too. No clue how that will pan out at the NHL level, but for now he's a fun player to watch.

Josh Dunne: He's another big body that has a ton of grit. He's not afraid to drop the gloves, and has leadership qualities (he was the captain at Clarkson University in 2020-21). Not much else besides that.

Mikael Pyyhtia: He went off at the end of the Liiga season last year, but i don't know if he can sustain that for a whole season. He's got good scoring chops when he's hot.

Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm: My second-favorite hockey name of all time. Scrabble's a more stay-at-home defenseman than Sammy or Stan, and is quite good too (he even beat Shane Wright once!). I like his style of play.

Marcus Bjork: I hadn't heard of this guy until we signed him after Dean Kukan left to go back home. He's a good passer, and good at hitting too. I certainly hope he becomes a 7th/8th defenseman like Kuks was.


Tier EE: Everyone Else


I left the "everyone else" to your own interpretation. I doubt any of these guys are gonna make the NHL team (or even be signed to their ELCs), so i feel like i'll just end off here.