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Columbus Blue Jackets select defenseman Jackson Smith 14th overall in 2025 NHL Draft
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- Columbus Blue Jackets select defenseman Jackson Smith 14th overall in 2025 NHL Draft
After declining trade interest in the first of two picks in the first round, the Blue Jackets used their 14thoverall selection June 27 at the 2025 NHL Draft to select Jackson Smith, a two-way defenseman from the Tri-City Americans.
The pick was announced by Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of former Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau . She announced the pick after drawing loud applause at both the draft headquarters in Los Angeles and from about 3,000 fans who attended the Blue Jackets' watch party at Nationwide Arena .
Smith, 18, is listed at 6-feet-4, 198 pounds and draws comparisons to Dallas Stars star defenseman Miro Heiskanen . Smith said Heiskanen is one of the NHL defensemen he's watched closely to shape his game, but has also enjoyed watching Blue Jackets star Zach Werenski play.
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"I think I've grown a lot as a player these past two years from being coachable," Smith told reporters in Columbus via teleconference. "I have quite a bit of natural skill, but it's also just the hard work I put into it throughout the season and throughout the offseason, as well. It just made me that much better going into (my draft) year and throughout the whole year. I kept getting better throughout the year, and I thought at the end of the year I was playing my best hockey."
Smith is a left-handed shooter who's committed to play collegiately next season at Penn State and finished the 2024-25 campaign for Tri-City with 11 goals, 43 assists and 54 points in 68 games during the regular season. He added 1-2-3 in five games during the playoffs.
"I think I have a lot of offensive upside to my game," Smith said. "I move on the blue line really well. I can find lanes, get pucks through (traffic) and score goals, but I can also defend the rush incredibly well. I have a really good stick, knocking pucks off of players' sticks defending the rush and while defending in my own zone, as well. I kind of feel like I'm a 'full package' kind of guy."
Smith was ranked as a Top 10 prospect by Elite Prospects (No. 6), McKeen's Hockey (No. 7) and The Hockey News (No. 8). He wasn't ranked any lower than No. 17 by Dobber Prospects and most commonly slotted into the 11-15 range of other rankings.
Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Jackson Smith is selected as the 14th overall pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Smith joins a Blue Jackets developmental system filled with defensemen prospects, including four added in 2024. The Jackets also had the 20th overall pick and surprised many by using it to select undersized Russian goalie Pyotr Andreyanov (6-0, 207) of CSKA Moscow's junior program (Krasnaya).
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Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets select defenseman Jackson Smith 14th overall
