The Columbus Blue Jackets selected London Knights (OHL) center Liam Foudy with their first round pick in the NHL Entry Draft on Friday night, No. 18 overall.
Foudy (pronounced “foodie”) posted 40 points (24 goals and 16 assists) in 65 games for the Knights last season, with 33 of those coming in the final 30 games. He’s 6’0, 182 pounds, and prides himself on his speed, idolizing Pavel Datsyuk as a child.
From NHL Central Scouting:
“Strong skater with good speed and quickness to be on top of plays and getting to where he needs to be – good hockey sense to make effective choices / decisions moving the puck – has the puck skills to execute passing plays and get the shot – very good game getting to the net to generate or be open on play for chances – consistent work ethic to play a two way game and he’s effective on the forecheck to get to loose pucks first – a young Knights player who has shown glimpses of having the ingredients of an NHL prospect.”
His mother competed in the 1984 Olympics in track and his father played in the Canadian Football League.
The Jackets need help up the middle, no doubt, though many in the open thread and on social media figured the CBJ would opt for Joe Veleno. Still, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has shown he’s not afraid to buck conventional wisdom and it’s worked out so far (see: Pierre-Luc Dubois).
Our blog’s fearless leader had Foudy going No. 29 to St. Louis in his mock draft and had this to say: “Foudy is a great skater and is a special-teamer. Foudy played in London with the Blues’ 2017 first rounder Robert Thomas, who’s since been traded to Hamilton of the OHL.”
Barring any trades, the Blue Jackets’ next pick comes in the second round at No. 49 pick overall, then in round three at No. 80. The last two picks will be in round six (no. 173) and round seven (No. 204) as the club traded away their fourth and fifth round picks for Mark Letestu and Artemi Panarin, respectively.
Dallas native and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones announced the selection.
Well, Liam Foudy the Jackets’ first round pick. What do you think?