This year’s Draft was wildly successful for the team, who came away with not only their future #1 center in Adam Fantilli – they landed another handful of players who could be contributors in the NHL by the time it’s all said and done. In fact, no fewer than five of the club’s eight picks this summer land on our top-20 list.
This is very impressive, more so when you consider that the Jackets already had a top-five prospect pool in the league, prior to this most recent draft. Adding Fantilli alone probably pushed them up to or near the top, depending on whose rankings you follow – but adding Gavin Brindley, William Whitelaw, and the other picks they made, could make this class one of the best in franchise history.