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2018 NHL Draft: Report card grades for every team

By Jeremy Lambert

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Liam Foudy poses after being selected eighteenth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Liam Foudy poses after being selected eighteenth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Columbus Blue Jackets – C

First Round Pick: Liam Foudy (C) (18)

Liam Foudy was was a huge riser in the second half of the season. He was ranked 91st among North American skaters by Central Scouting at the midterm. He finished at 19. I’ve knocked a lot of teams for jumping up and grabbing centers just because they are centers. This pick is a reach by the Blue Jackets, but not nearly as bad as what Dallas and Phoenix did with their first round picks. Foudy is an excellent skater who is responsible in all three zones. You can’t teach speed and athleticism, which is what Foudy has in spades. The Blue Jackets are hoping the rest of his game catches up to his body, because if it does, they’ll have a heck of a player on their hands. He’s going to be the next Luis Mendoza and no one can tell me different.

Other Notable Picks: Kirill Marchenko (RW) (49)

Marchenko jumped 20 spots in Central Scoutings rankings, going from 37 to 17 among European skaters. He’s a big forward, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 187 pounds. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but the scouting report projects much better. Those who have watched him play say he has top-end offensive talent, but his defense needs some work. Their third round pick, Marcus Karlberg, was completely off the board. The rest of their picks are solid but unspectacular, although Tim Berni (taken No. 159) might be a steal.

Some reaches, but nothing that will set the franchise back years.

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