How are the recent 2022 Columbus Blue Jackets draftees looking?
All stats entering Tuesday, Nov. 22.
David Jiricek, 1st round, No. 6
Jiricek made his NHL debut for the Blue Jackets in a 4-0 loss against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 28. He had one shot against the Bruins and three in a 7-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. So far in his Cleveland Monsters stint, he has eight points (three goals, five assists).
DAVID JIRICEK ROOKIE LAP pic.twitter.com/nz88VTVFsw
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 28, 2022
He just had his first two-goal game in North America, and currently has eight points (three goals, five assists).
First two AHL goals tonight for #CBJ first-rounder David Jiricek https://t.co/aDJ6Hs1nuO
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) November 19, 2022
Denton Mateychuk, 1st round, No. 12
Mateychuk has been lighting it up for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL. With 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 17 games, the captain has looked strong early.
Mateychuk is coming off the third star and the first star of the game honors for Moose Jaw over the last weekend. Fellow Blue Jacket prospect Martin Rysavy (2021, 7th round) has four assists with the Warriors this season.
Denton Mateychuk had a goal(5) and was named 3rd star in a 6-0 Warriors win. Martin Rysavy had an assist(4) also #CBJ https://t.co/hpXSET04fR
— CBJProspects (@CBJProspects) November 20, 2022
Luca Del Bel Belluz, 2nd round, No. 44
An alternate captain for the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads, Del Bel Belluz has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) through 18 games, placing him second in points for Mississauga.
FAST AND FURIOUS @BlueJacketsNHL prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz skates in with speed and nets his 11th goal of the season to tie the game up at 1-1! #MadeofSteel
— Mississauga Steelheads (@OHLSteelheads) November 20, 2022
: Del Bel Belluz
: Veccia
: Callaghan pic.twitter.com/bXhi14KzJy
SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME FOR LUCA DEL BEL BELLUZ COMES ON THE POWER PLAY 3-1 STEELHEADS!
— Mississauga Steelheads (@OHLSteelheads) November 20, 2022
Here's what we wrote about Del Bel Belluz.
Jordan Dumais, 3rd round, No. 96
Dumais has been on an absolute tear.
No big deal, but Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais is on pace for 156 points this season in the QMJHL.
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) November 21, 2022
The last two QMJHLers to break the 150-point barrier are Sidney Crosby (168 in 2004-05) and Alexander Radulov (152 in 2005-06).
While Connor Bedard is the top prize for next summer's NHL draft as the 17-year-old is expected to be the top selection, it's actually the recent Blue Jackets draft prospect in Dumais who has also been turning heads, where he's co-leading the CHL in points with Bedard.
The alternate captain for the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads has a staggering 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) in 21 games. He leads the QMJHL in points and assists and co-leads in goals.
Highest scoring U20 QMJHL seasons in the last 20 years:
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) November 19, 2022
1. Sidney Crosby: 168 points
2. Jordan Dumais: 163 points (pace)*
3. Alexander Radulov: 152 points
4. Sidney Crosby: 135 points
5. Conor Garland: 129
6. Conor Garland: 128
If Dumais can keep it up, itll be historic.
When speaking with The Athletic's Scott Wheeler over the summer, he spoke about why he's so high on Dumais' game.
"I love (Dumais') game," Wheeler said. "The knock on (Dumais) was that he's five-eight and his skating stride looks a little clunky. It looks a little awkward. And when you're small and slow, teams typically write you off and I think the beauty of his game is that he's not slow. It might look weird, but he is not slow. I spoke a lot with the people in Halifax about him over the course of that season.
"There are just a lot of little things to like about him. And I think because of the concerns about the skating and size, he was just overlooked by default and teams didn't do enough due diligence on how he was creating all those points he scored. This is a kid who had the most productive draft-eligible season in the QMJHL since Sidney Crosby.
Kirill Dolzhenkov, 4th round, No. 109
Dolzhenkov has appeared in five games for KHL's CSKA Moskva and has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 20 games for the MHL's Krasnaya Armiya Moskva.
Kirill Dolzhenkov puts one in the back of the net right off the face-off! pic.twitter.com/WgnEyqDdLd
— CBJ Highlights (@ThreadsJackets) November 20, 2022
Columbus nabs one of the more intriguing players in this draft. I didn't rank him, but listed Kirill Dolzhenkov as one of the intriguing late-rounders I was watching. He is 6-foot-6 and he absolutely wires pucks. Watching him vs. U20 players was legit comical.
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) July 8, 2022
Here's what we wrote about Dolzhenkov over the summer.
Sergei Ivanov, 5th round, No. 138
Ivanov has been busy across 2022-23. He's played in two games for KHL's SKA St. Petersburg where he doesn't have a decision (1.000 sv%, 0.00 GAA), and five games for VHL's SKA-Neva St. Petersburg where he's 0-3-2 (.890, 3.34), and five games for MHL's SKA-1946 St. Petersburg where he's 3-0-1 with two shutouts (.933, 1.89).
FINAL
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) November 16, 2022
Russia U20 3-0 Belarus U20 #StavokCup #CBJ prospect Sergei Ivanov back-to-back shutouts. pic.twitter.com/LTpvQHjYeI
James Fisher, 7th round, No. 203
Fisher is playing for the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms where he has three points (two goals, one assist) through 12 games. We wrote about him upon being drafted in July.
