Columbus Blue Jackets go big on small forwards in NHL draft's second day
NASHVILLE — Looking back at the Blue Jackets’ past few draft classes, a couple of traits stand out.
They’re not afraid to scoop up players who aren’t gifted with height, and the players they’ve taken in spite of those height challenges are intensely motivated. It happened again Thursday, when the Blue Jackets stocked up with three more undersized forwards during the NHL draft’s second day.
More: Get to know new Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Adam Fantilli
Michigan’s Gavin Brindley (5 feet 9, 168 pounds) was taken in the second round (No. 34), William Whitelaw (5-9, 174) was selected in the third (No. 66) and Luca Pinelli (5-9, 168) was chosen with the second of two picks in the fourth (No. 114). It was quite a contrast to what the Jackets did Wednesday night, when they took Michigan’s Adam Fantilli third overall for his unique combination of size (6-2, 195), speed and skill as a top center.
“There are a lot of guys in the NHL that are smaller,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “They’re either highly, highly, highly skilled and explosive or a combination of skill and (intense) competitiveness, and that’s what you need. If you want to play at that size, you’ve got to be competitive. Guys are not going to give you any leeway just because you’re smaller than them.”
That description fits Brindley, Whitelaw and Pinelli.
Brindley impressed as a freshman at Michigan, where he worked his way up the lineup to eventually play on Fantilli’s line. Whitelaw led the Youngstown Phantoms in scoring, helping them win a championship in the United States Hockey League before heading to the University of Wisconsin. Pinelli nearly doubled his offensive output in his second OHL season with the Ottawa 67s.
Each is skilled, built like a fire hydrant and isn’t afraid to mix it up physically — especially Whitelaw. Asked what NHL players he models himself after, he picked a group of undersized standouts: Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins), Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning), Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens) and Alex DeBrincat (Ottawa Senators).
A year ago, the Blue Jackets took undersized skill forward Jordan Dumais in the third round. In 2021 they picked undersized James Malatesta. Dumais led the QMJHL in scoring with a huge offensive season, while the grittier Malatesta led the Quebec Remparts to the CHL’s Memorial Cup championship.
“When you look at undersized players, like Brayden Point for example, in the NHL, they’re thick through the lower body and core,” Blue Jackets assistant amateur scout Trevor Timmins said. “They’re really strong and glued to the ice. That’s what Brindley is.”
That’s what Dumais, Malatesta, Whitelaw and Pinelli are, too. And that’s just their style on the ice. Off the ice, they’re all bulldog personalities who are driven to overcome any size limitations.
“I think it’s the philosophy of the organization,” Timmins said. “We want guys that are willing to compete, not only on the ice but off the ice. Off the ice is critical. It’s their job to eventually get (to the NHL) and if you don’t have that will to put in the work, the will to compete and drive to be the best you can be, then you’re never going to make it. That’s one thing we look for in personality assessments and the interview process. And, usually, what we see on the ice correlates with the information we get about their off-ice personalities.”
Columbus Blue Jackets increase Michigan quotient
It’s starting to get a little ridiculous now.
Already having three former Michigan players on the NHL roster plus Fantilli, the Blue Jackets went back to the maize-and-blue well again Thursday with Brindley. Five Wolverines now occupy spots in the system for a team that plays just down the road from Ohio State – which is anathema to Michigan.
Perhaps changing the team’s name to the Maize-and-Blue Jackets is in order?
“I think it’s just a coincidence,” Kekalainen said. “When we do our list, we don’t look at where they’re from or where they go to school. We just put them in the order of preference, and it’s just fallen this way now that we’ve gotten a lot of Michigan players.”
Fantilli and Brindley combine with Kent Johnson (No. 5 in 2021) to give the Blue Jackets three Wolverines in the past three drafts. They also signed former Michigan defenseman Nick Blankenburg in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. Prior to those four, the Blue Jackets drafted star defenseman Zach Werenski eighth overall out of Michigan in 2015.
“It’s a great program, obviously, and they’ve got a long history of producing first-round picks and high picks,” Kekalainen said. “In that way, it’s not a coincidence they have good players in that program.”
After Brindley was selected, Fantilli found him on the draft floor and gave him a hug. That was after Fantilli made sure to suggest Brindley as a draft option to Kekalainen, which the GM chuckled about.
“It’s tough to put into words, but being drafted to a place like Columbus … I’ve got a ton of family in Ohio and I can’t wait to get there, especially with Adam there,” Brindley said. “It’s going to be pretty cool. He was staring across from me when (the Jackets) were picking and he was fingers crossed, like this, and then he got up before I even did. It was a pretty cool moment for us.
Columbus Blue Jackets make seven picks on draft’s second day
Along with Brindley, Whitelaw and Pinelli, the Jackets selected Youngstown Phantoms defenseman Andrew Strathmann in the fourth round (No. 98), Swedish goalie Melvyn Strahl in the fifth (No. 156), Finnish forward Oiva Keskinen (No. 194) and forward Tyler Peddle (No. 224).
Strathmann was teammates with Whitelaw on the Youngstown championship team and is a 5-11 puck-moving, offensive defenseman. Strahl is a 6-3 netminder. Keskinen (6-0, 181) scored 20 goals with 41 points in Finland’s junior level and Peddle was the last pick of the draft — which the Blue Jackets acquired in a trade.
“I was in complete shock and my father just grabbed me,” Peddle said. “It was probably one of the scariest things leading up to it, but it was the best moment I’ve ever experienced in my life and I’m grateful I have the opportunity. From now on, I’ve just got to prove myself. That’s a big thing I have to show.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets finish draft with seven picks, one more Wolverine
