Jordan Dumais arrived in the Blue Jackets’ system with the kind of buzz that makes a third-round pick feel like a bargain. Now, the conversation has shifted. After once looking like a potential steal at No. 96 overall, the 5-foot-9, 174-pound winger is trying to stop the slide before it costs him his NHL future.
Dumais, who was ranked No. 11 on last year’s list, comes in at No. 15 on the Blue Jackets’ summer 2026 top prospects ranking. The list was built from a collective vote by Union and Blue writers Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem, and it only includes players 24 and under with fewer than 25 NHL games.
The appeal is still easy to see. In 2022-2023 with the Halifax Mooseheads, Dumais piled up 140 points in the CHL, finishing second only to Connor Bedard that season.
That kind of production made him look like a player who could outgrow concerns about his size. But the last stretch has been far less encouraging.
Since then, Dumais has battled injuries, legal troubles, and inconsistency in Cleveland. In his final season in the QMJHL, he managed 47 points but appeared in only 21 games. Across his first two AHL seasons, he has totaled just 29 points in 67 games, posted a minus-11 rating, and was a healthy scratch throughout the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs for the Cleveland Monsters.
When Dumais is right, he’s a shifty, offensive playmaking winger who can use skill to overcome a lack of size and strength. He brings strong mobility and good skating for his build, though he still doesn’t quite have the extension and stride speed that would put him in the elite skating tier for a player his size.
The upside remains real enough to keep him on the board. The concern is that the gap between his CHL peak and his current production has grown too wide.
The Blue Jackets could still use him as more than a bottom-six, 20-plus-assist type down the line, but the path back has to start now. If he doesn’t turn his production around quickly, his NHL opportunity could slip away.
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