Any time you hear a team that says they draft the best player off the board, know that is not usually completely true. Especially for a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets. After taking defenseman Ryan Murray with the second overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, Columbus then went on a goalie binge by taking Oscar Dansk with the first pick of the second round and following up again with the first pick of the third round taking Finnish goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
“We are very pleased with what we were able to do this weekend and believe we have added quality prospects to our organization,” General Manager Scott Howson said. “With our first two picks today and the addition of Sergei Bobrovsky, we have re-stocked the goaltending position, which was a priority for us.”
That sure looks like an admission that they drafted for need. The Blue Jackets used four draft picks this year (2 second round, third round and fourth round) and one next year (fourth round) to get three goalie into an organization that only had two signed netminders in the organization.
Dansk was a no brainer selection sitting there on day two. Some have argued that he was the best goalie in the draft this year. No one will argue that he is the best puck moving netminder in the draft and almost plays it too much for some scouts liking.
“Dansk is a big kid who plays big in his net,” HockeyProspect.com's NHL Draft Black Book explains. “He has strong mechanics and moves his big frame around in his net very well. His butterfly is big and tight which enables him to be really good down low. He tracks puck well and is very good with his rebound control. He does a great job directing them to spots where he wants them to go. He is very quick at making second saves if the odd rebound is left in a dangerous spot. While Dansk is athletic he stays true to his technical game, very methodical in his movements. He stays square to the puck, not the shooter.
Dansk plays the puck very well. He becomes a valuable asset on the PK and on dump ins in general. Poorly placed dumps are quickly turned into breakout passes by Oscar. Unlike many young Euro goalies, Dansk thrives on the small ice surface, in fact he told us he loves playing on it.”
Joonas Korpisalo is a tall lanky goalie at 6'2” and 163 that had a very good Under 18 World Championships that boosted his stock. He's a very athletic goalie and quick side to side. Korpisalo is also aggressive on challenging shooters and is athletic enough to recover on second and third attempts.
I thought Joonas showed a ton of high end potentialat the recent U18,” Mark Edwards from HockeyProspect.com said. “He looked confident and moved around his net quickly. I thought he took away a big chunk of his net. I loved how quick he was getting back into a good position after making the initial saves."
In the fourth round the Blue Jackets picked up Josh Anderson a left winger from the London Knights. The 6'1”183 pound forward only put up 22 points this year for the Knights but that's not Anderson's game. He is destined to be a third line check winger that will drop the gloves from time to time. He will need time to develop.
“Josh is a smooth skater with long strides and deceptive speed,” HockeyProspect.com's NHL Draft Black Book scouted. “His effortless
quickness in his stride is impressive. He looks poised when rushing the puck
up the ice but at times he drops his head a bit in the neutral zone and is not
always aware of his surroundings. Josh protects the puck well, and drives to
the net when the opportunity arises. Anderson is a hard worker down low
and controls the puck well. He has thrown his big frame around, especially
as the season moved along and he got more comfortable in the league.”
With no pick in the fifth round, Columbus waited until the 155th overall selection to nab Daniel Zaar from Rogle Junior team from the Swedish Junior League. He is an undersized right winger that put up decent numbers with 14 goals and 38 points in 44 games with Rogle Junior and also when he did play in 7 games on the Rogle U-18 team he dominated with 6 goals and 12 points in only 7 games.
With the Blue Jackets last pick they selected Gianluca Curcuroto from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds with the 182nd overall selection. Curcuruto was pegged as an offensive defensemen coming into the Ontario Hockey League but has struggled with that part of the game but has developed into more of a defensive defenseman with puck moving skills.
“Curcuruto had a tough season,” Mark Edwards from HockeyProspect.com stated. “He battles hard in his own zone but he really struggles to make plays when he is under any type of pressure.If he is to have any chance at playing in the NHL someday, he will need to think quicker on his feet and make better decisions with the puck when he is under forecheck pressure.”
Remember that if two of these players ever make significant contributions on the NHL stage with the Blue Jackets this is considered a decent draft. If three make it then it's now a very good draft. More than that and your doing back flips.
Especially after you hear the report by the Dispatch that soon after the draft was over, the Blue Jackets fired four of their amateur scouts including John Williams, the one that was heavily scouting both first round selections Ryan Johansen and this year's pick Ryan Murray.
"We just felt it was time to change the direction of the scouting staff," Howson told the Dispatch. "We informed them that their contracts won't be renewed. We're thankful for their loyal service."
Brian Bates, Andrew Shaw, Artem Telepin and Williams were all shown the door as Tyler Wright is putting his stamp on this scouting staff by getting rid of people that he doesn't have comfort in and he will bring in scouts that thinks as he does.
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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