The Columbus have selected Gabriel Carlson of Linköpings HC in the Swedish Hockey League with the 29th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The Blue Jackets traded up with the Leafs to get the 29th selection. Columbus gave up the 34th (second round) and 68th (third round) picks to Toronto. The Leafs initially traded the 24th selection to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 29th and 61st overall selections.
Earlier in the draft, Columbus selected Zack Werenski with the eighth overall pick.
After trading for pick 29, the @BlueJacketsNHL select Gabriel Carlsson! #NHLDraft2015 pic.twitter.com/YZTVzTXf08
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) June 27, 2015
Carlsson continues the trend of remodeling the Blue Jackets’ defensive corps. He is a stay-at-home defenseman that was picked in many slots in mock drafts done by experts.
He doesn’t light up the scoreboard, but he does have plenty of size at 6’4”, 183 pounds. He’s got great reach and is a good skater.
The only concern may be the lack of points. Carlsson only logged two points with the parent club. However, his defensive prowess earned him a shot during the Swedish playoffs.
Carlsson is also a regular with the Swedish youth international teams, as he’s been selected for U17, U18 and the Four Nations tournament in 2014 and 2015. He’s got a good shot at cracking the Tre Kronor for the 2016 World Junior Championships.
The Blue Jackets will still be active Saturday with the 38th, 58thand 68th picks. They also will select at 129th, 141st, 159th, and 189th overall.
For more on the 2015 NHL Draft, be sure to follow The Hockey Writers’ live draft tracker throughout the night.
