Thanks to the 79 readers who submitted ballots in this year’s ranking of Columbus Blue Jackets players under the age of 25. Stay tuned over the next six weeks as we count down the top 25.
#19 Liam Foudy
Voting
19th out of 45 eligible players
Writer Rank: 20
Reader Rank: 19
Highest placement: 6 (1 vote)
Most common placement: 18 (8 votes)
2022 Rank: 18
Biography
Birthdate: February 4, 2000
Birthplace: Scarborough, ON
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 188 lbs
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Acquired: 2018 1st round 18th overall pick
2022-23 Season
Foudy played 62 games for the Blue Jackets last season, tallying 7 goals and 7 assists. Something, however, seemed to click for him late in the season. He finally notching his first regular season NHL goal against Dallas on February 18th and, including that game, added 11 5v5 points in 27 games. That may not sound like a lot, but the Jackets only scored 49 5v5 goals in that time span, meaning Foudy was involved in 22% of those goals.
There are still big questions marks about his game and whether or not he has a long-term future with the club, but there’s no arguing that he improved significantly as the season progressed.
2023-24 Outlook
Liam stands out as a guy that could benefit the most from a new coach, especially one that preaches structure. He’s crazy fast, has better hands than Robinson, and better vision than Olivier, but often finds himself out of position both offensively and defensively. Bemstrom is player that could be compared to Foudy, both have an NHL skillset they haven’t been able to consistently package together.
He certainly has a decent shot at making the opening night roster. If he doesn’t force his way into a bottom six role, he will likely start the season as a healthy scratch. He’ll have to improve his game defensively for Babcock to trust him with ice time, but his trajectory is currently headed in the right direction. It’s up to him to continue the positive momentum.