The Columbus Blue Jackets have wrapped up a busy 2026 NHL Draft, adding a total of seven new players to their roster. Over the course of two days, they strategically selected five forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender, aiming to bolster their lineup for the future.
Kicking off their selections in the third round, the Blue Jackets picked center Alessandro Di Iorio with the 94th overall pick. Hailing from the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, this 18-year-old from Vaughn, Ontario, is a promising talent.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 194 pounds, Di Iorio set a personal best last season with 12 goals and 19 assists in 45 games. His international experience is impressive, having represented Canada multiple times, including at the 2025 and 2026 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
In a series of savvy trades, the Blue Jackets acquired a fourth-round pick from the Washington Capitals and a fifth-round pick for the 2028 NHL Draft. They then swapped the fourth-rounder with the Minnesota Wild, ultimately securing the 121st and 185th overall picks.
With the 121st pick, they chose forward Evan Jardine from the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. Jardine, a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native, is known for his scoring prowess, tallying 27 goals and 34 assists in 53 games last season.
His commitment to play at Ohio State University in the upcoming season only adds to his potential.
In the fifth round, the Blue Jackets selected goaltender Parker Snell from the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL with the 142nd pick. Snell, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 176 pounds, posted an impressive 21-9-1 record with a 2.74 GAA and .895 save percentage. His performance in the playoffs was notable, ranking third in GAA and fourth in save percentage.
Moving into the sixth round, Columbus picked forward Anttoni Uronen from Finland’s HIFK with the 182nd overall pick. At 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, Uronen showcased his skills in Finland’s top league, Liiga, and has a solid track record in junior leagues, contributing significantly to his teams' successes.
The Blue Jackets' sixth-round pick, 185th overall, was defenseman Jonas Woo from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. Woo, a 5-foot-9 blueliner, led league defensemen in assists and points, earning a spot on the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team. His commitment to Arizona State University for the 2026-27 season indicates his ongoing development.
Finally, in the seventh round, Columbus selected Filip Novak from HC Sparta in Czechia with the 206th pick. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound forward has been a consistent performer in Czech junior leagues and made his mark internationally at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2024 Youth Olympic Games.
With these selections, the Blue Jackets have strategically bolstered their ranks with a mix of size, skill, and international experience, setting the stage for an exciting future.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Keep Jack Williams In The Mix For Crucial Center Depth
The Blue Jackets kept Jack Williams in the organizations plans by re-signing the restricted free agent center to a two-year, two-way contract extension at the start of summer development camp. Williams arrived in Columbus after his NCAA career at Northeastern, then spent last season with the Cleveland Monsters after getting into one NHL game the year before.
It is another sign the club still values his potential as center depth, especially with a player who has been developing inside the system and getting reps in the minors. Williams path back to Columbus is still a work in progress, but the new deal keeps him in the mix and gives the Blue Jackets another experienced option to monitor as camp and roster decisions continue. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Fans May Need To Brace For Boone Jenners Next Step
With July 1 getting closer, Boone Jenner still does not have a new contract in place, and that has become one of the more important questions hanging over the Blue Jackets offseason. Columbus has long leaned on its captain as a dependable center and a steadying presence, but the closer free agency gets, the more likely it is that Jenner tests the open market.
If he gets there, there should be no shortage of interest. Jenner would be one of the more appealing centers available, and league projections have already started to connect him with teams looking for help down the middle as they reshape their rosters. For the Blue Jackets, the uncertainty is less about whether Jenner will draw attention and more about how far the process may go before Columbus can figure out whether its captain is still part of the plan. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Suddenly Linked To A Franchise Shifting Werenski Pursuit
Zach Werenski has been attached to plenty of speculative trade chatter over the years, but the latest wave feels a little different because Dallas is now part of the conversation. The Stars are being linked not just to the Blue Jackets defenseman, but also to Dylan Larkin in Detroit, a pairing that immediately underscores how ambitious any such pursuit would be and how quickly it would ripple through the rest of the league.
For Columbus, the intrigue is less about the noise than the reality underneath it: Werenski is not an easy player to pry loose, and he still has years left on his extension. Any team serious about even exploring that kind of move would have to be willing to pay a steep price and navigate the kind of trade structure that usually lives more in theory than in practice, which is why this storyline is worth watching even before anything concrete emerges. [Read more 🡒]