The Blue Jackets’ summer 2026 prospect rundown has now been folded into one clean recap, and the picture at the top is pretty clear: this system leans hard on goaltending and defense, with a deep group of forwards waiting behind them.
The list started with a big batch of honorable mentions, 19 players in all, and five of the seven Blue Jackets selections from this year’s NHL Draft landed there. From there, the top-20 was best viewed by position and broken into tiers, beginning with the crease.
Two of Columbus’ top three prospects are goaltenders, and that stood out as the organization’s strongest area of depth. Pyotr Andreyanov checked in at No. 2 overall and, in this view, carries the highest ceiling in the system. If he arrives in North America in 2030 as planned, the expectation is that he could be ready to step into a major role right away and eventually become the Blue Jackets’ starter.
Right behind him is Sergei Ivanov, another Russian goalie who drew a second-place vote from contributor Weston Motz. Ivanov may be the most NHL-ready goaltender not currently projected to be on the team next season, and he, too, was viewed as having starter upside, even if Andreyanov’s ceiling is higher.
The third goalie in the top-20 will be much closer to home this season. Evan Gardner, ranked No. 10, is already signed to his ELC and is set to spend next season as one of the two goaltenders for the Cleveland Monsters. The projection here has him as a solid NHL backup down the road.
On the blue line, the talent is front-loaded. Five defensemen made the top-20, and three of them were seen as having top-four potential at the NHL level.
Jackson Smith sat at the very top of the defense group and was the unanimous No. 1 prospect in the organization this summer. The belief here is that he could develop into a fringe top-pairing defenseman, with a real chance to reach the NHL by the end of next season.
After Smith, the next name to watch is Guillaume Richard. He ranked seventh in the organization and was labeled the most NHL-ready defender in the pool. The expectation is a strong second-pairing, shutdown role in the not-so-distant future.
Luca Marrelli came in one spot behind Richard and brings a very different skill set. He’s a puck mover first and foremost, though there are still defensive issues that need ironing out. One idea floated here: the possibility that Richard and Marrelli could one day form a pairing in the NHL.
Corson Ceulemans was another notable defender on the list, landing at No. 12 after entering last summer as an honorable mention. He was the biggest riser in the group, with his game beginning to show more clearly in Cleveland. The projection remains bottom-pairing NHL potential.
One spot behind Ceulemans is Charlie Elick, who is viewed as a similar long-term candidate for the third pairing. He’s just as good a skater, but younger, bigger, and more physical. The one thing missing is offense.
That leaves the forward group, and there are 12 of them inside the top 20, with the rest of the breakdown still to come.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Give Fans A New Reason To Debate This Core
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Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski stood out as players providing positive value surpluses, the kind of production that can make a roster easier to build around. But the analysis also underscored the familiar push and pull of team construction, with names like Cole Sillinger and Charlie Coyle showing negative value in the evaluation, leaving the Blue Jackets with a little more to debate about which pieces are truly driving the foundation and which ones still need to justify their place. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Risk Chasing The Wrong Upgrade With Kirill Marchenko
Kirill Marchenko is one of the more intriguing names on Columbuss roster because his value can swing in opposite directions depending on how this season unfolds. If the winger takes a step back, the Blue Jackets would be looking at a reduced trade market. If he pops, the conversation gets more complicated because his next contract would quickly become part of any serious move, and that makes him a harder piece to shop cleanly.
For Montreal, the appeal is easy enough to understand. The Canadiens are searching for help and Marchenkos position makes him a natural fit in the type of upgrade they keep weighing against what they already have on the wing. Still, the more scouts and analysts dig into the fit, the more this feels like the kind of chase that can look obvious on paper while masking a bigger question: whether Columbus would actually end up in a place where moving him makes practical sense at all. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Stay In The Middle Of A Goalie Debate Fans Feel Strongly About
As the NHL drifts toward another offseason of trade chatter, Columbus is again finding its name attached to one of the louder rumors. The Blue Jackets are among the teams that could be active as the 2026-27 season approaches, with Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski both mentioned in the broader swirl of possible deals, while other clubs around the league are also expected to explore their own roster changes.
Kirill Marchenko is the name to watch in the trade talk, especially with interest coming from Montreal and the kind of league-wide speculation that tends to spread fast once the offseason opens up. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said it had been weeks since he last discussed a possible Marchenko trade with another general manager, but that has not done much to quiet a conversation that still feels very much alive. [Read more 🡒]