Notebook: Blue Jackets have eyes on top prospects at Scouting Combine

Shout out to Jim Viers.

The Blue Jackets scouting coordinator was given perhaps the most nerve-wracking task of the week at the NHL Scouting Combine -- pick three different restaurants in Buffalo for CBJ brass to attend for meetings with the top prospects they might select with the third overall pick June 28.

In talking with general manager Jarmo Kekalainen -- as well as potential picks Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli and Will Smith -- Viers got the job done, selecting three different places that passed muster.

"Jimmy Viers took care of us," Kekalainen said Saturday at the conclusion of the event. "He made some good reservations for us. It was all good."

With the reservations taken care of, the Blue Jackets representatives Kekalainen, director of amateur scouting Ville Siren and assistant director of amateur scouting Trevor Timmins could get down to business. Those dinner meetings between the three and the presumed top three targets on their board were key, as it allowed both sides to build a rapport as the Jackets try to narrow down their choice in the upcoming NHL draft.

"I think it's a more relaxed setting with more time than 15, 20 minutes," said Smith, referring to the official times scheduled during the week when teams met with players in Buffalo's KeyBank Center. "It's better to get to know them, and better for them to get to know me."

While all indications are that Canadian center Connor Bedard will go No. 1 to Chicago after one of the top junior seasons ever, the Blue Jackets will have options at No. 3. The general consensus is that Fantilli, a big Canadian centerman who became the third freshman ever to win the Hobey Baker Award this past year at the University of Michigan, is the likely choice of Anaheim at No. 2. Should that come to pass, it would leave either Carlsson, Smith or Russian wing Matvei Michkov -- who did not attend the combine -- to the Blue Jackets.

Columbus continued to do its due diligence, though, on Fantilli in Buffalo, and the U-M prospect said heading from Ann Arbor to Columbus would be something he'd embrace if it were to happen.

"I'd love to," he said. "There are multiple Michigan alumni there. It's close to home, and they have phenomenal hockey players there. I'm sure they're going to be on an amazing trajectory soon. I obviously would not mind at all. It's an amazing spot."

Carlsson and Smith, meanwhile, provide interesting options down the middle, as the Blue Jackets look to bolster the center position in the organization.

Carlsson played a regular shift in the Swedish Hockey League this past year (albeit as a wing) and was on both the IIHF World Juniors and World Championships rosters for his home country, and NHL Central Scouting lists him the No. 1 international skater available.

Smith racked up points for the U.S. National Team Development program, posting the second-most points ever in a season (51-76-127 line in 60 games) and tying Jack Hughes' record with 20 points at the IIHF World U-18s while winning gold. Central Scouting tabs him the No. 3 North American skater available after Bedard and Fantilli.

In interviews with Blue Jackets radio host Dylan Tyrer for the Pipeline Podcast, both spoke highly of Columbus after meeting with the organization in Buffalo.

"(I'd be) really excited, of course," Carlsson said of the prospect of being chosen by the CBJ. "Great rink, great organization, great fans I think as well. So I think it's perfect."

Smith added: "I'd be super fired up. I know all about the fans, The 5th Line, and the city. I've heard only good things. It would be amazing."

Kekalainen Gives Updates

Meanwhile, there has been some speculation on social media that, after making trades this past week to add defenseman Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson to the equation, the Blue Jackets might be looking to trade that third overall pick to continue to bolster the current roster.

Don't hold your breath.

While Kekalainen acknowledged he's fielded a few calls from general managers about the selection, he's in no hurry to move the pick, especially in a loaded draft that many observers feel holds multiple franchise players.

"It would take a whole lot," Kekalainen said. "I don't think anybody is willing to offer that much."

The CBJ general manager also acknowledged that much of the work when it comes to deciding who that pick will be is done. The Blue Jackets held their amateur scouting meetings in May, and while the World Championships (in which Fantilli and Carlsson participated) and the Combine are final data points, the length of the season carries a tremendous amount of weight in the rankings.

Kekalainen said the meetings are important and added that the prospect fitness testing can help answer any questions the team has about a player's physical abilities, but when it comes to No. 3 overall, "I think we have a pretty good idea" of who it will be, the GM said.

Will that player's availability to the Blue Jackets next season play a part? Likely not.

"I don't know," Kekalainen said when asked if that pick will play in Columbus next year. "We'll see when we get to that, which player it is and determine what is best for him and what's best for us. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon, is what I always say. I'm not concerned at all if the player plays with us next year. It's about having the best possible career."

Fantilli and Carlsson have said they will work with the teams that draft them to decide their immediate future paths, while Smith is committed to play college hockey next year at Boston College, where his sister is a senior.

Bedard Talks Johnson

Bedard spent the week traveling from the Stanley Cup Final in Vegas to Buffalo with Carlsson, Fantilli and Smith, which caused him to miss a game.

The organized ice hockey season is over, of course, but during the summer Bedard skates on an inline hockey team in the northern suburbs of Vancouver that features a large group of high-level players in the area. His team, the Great Guys, features Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson, presumed first-round pick Andrew Cristall as well as Kent's brother, Kyle. (CBJ defenseman Jake Christiansen has skated with the squad in the past.)

You might think such a team would dominate, but the Great Guys have won just one of five games this spring. Wednesday, the squad fell 15-14 without Bedard despite six goals and five assists from Kent Johnson.

When asked what he'd tell Kent after losing the game despite totaling 11 points, Bedard could only laugh.

"I mean, get 12 or 13, I guess," Bedard said.

The Vancouver area has become a hotbed for hockey talent, with Bedard of course expected to be the top pick. He and Johnson are friends and have played together a few times on the ice as well, including on the Canadian World Juniors team in the summer of 2022 that won gold when Johnson scored an overtime goal in the final.

Bedard said the two chatted throughout the past season as Johnson was one of the top rookie scorers in the NHL with the Blue Jackets.

"Him having the experience in the NHL and playing that last whole season, asking him questions and learning what he thought of it has been great for me," Bedard said.

Notes

Fantilli and Carlsson declined to do the fitness testing, both pointing to the rigors of a long season and the quick turnaround after they participated in the World Championships. Smith did take part and measured in at 5-11¾. He also sported a nasty gash on his ankle, which he suffered when his foot slipped during the Wingate biking test Saturday. … Kekalainen added the Blue Jackets will likely announce the team's new goaltending coach this week. ... The top prospects also had an outing at TopGolf this week, with Smith winning the competition followed by Carlsson. Smith said he likes to say he's a 5 or 6 handicap, while Carlsson said he checks in around 8.