COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets wrapped up the 2022 National Hockey League Draft by selecting five players during rounds two through seven on Friday. During the two-day draft, the Blue Jackets used their seven picks to select four forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender.
The Blue Jackets selected center Luca Del Bel Belluz, 18, from Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League in the second round, 44th overall. The Woodbridge, Ontario native led the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL) in assists and finished second in goals, points and plus/minus rating with 30-46-76 points and a +23 plus/minus rating in 68 games in 2021-22. The 6-0, 179-pound forward has tallied 31-51-82 with 36 penalty minutes and a cumulative +10 rating in 126 career outings with the Steelheads from 2019-22.
In the third round, Columbus selected right wing Jordan Dumais with the 96th overall pick. The 18-year-old has collected 49-89-138 with 26 penalty minutes in 108 career appearances with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2020-22. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Dumais led the club in assists and points and ranked second in goals with 39-70-109 in 68 outings in 2021-22. The 5-8, 165-pound winger was named the 2022 Canadian Hockey League Sportsman of the Year, the QMJHL Most Sportsmanlike Player and to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team.
Columbus used its fourth round pick, 109th overall, to select right wing Kirill Dolzhenkov from Krasnaya Armiya of Russia’s Junior League (MHL). The 18-year-old native of Moskva, Russia recorded 14-14-28 with 35 penalty minutes, a +13 plus/minus rating and five power play goals in 33 appearances with Krasnaya Armiya in 2021-22. The 6-6, 234-pound forward helped his club reach the league finals, adding 3-5-8 in 19 post season games.
The Blue Jackets acquired a fifth-round pick, 138th overall, from San Jose for a 2023 fifth-round pick. With the 138th pick, Columbus selected goaltender Sergei Ivanov from SKA St. Petersburg of Russia’s Junior League (MHL). The Chernushka, Russia native has posted a 19-24-9 record with a 2.86 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and four shutouts in 54 career games with SKA St. Petersburg and SKA Varyagi (MHL) from 2020-22. The 18-year-old went 14-7-4 with a 2.17 GAA and .928 SV% in 26 games with St. Petersburg in 2021-22, helping the club win the league championships with a 12-1-2 record, 2.10 GAA and .931 SV% in the post season. The 5-11, 165-pound goaltender has represented Russia at several international tournaments, earning a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and a silver medal at the 2021 U18 World Championships.
In the seventh round with the 203rd overall pick, the Blue Jackets selected right wing James Fisher, 18, from Belmont Hill School. The native of Burlington, Massachusetts has tallied 21-21-42 in 56 career games with Belmont Hill from 2019-22. The 6-2, 170-pound forward is committed to play at Northeastern University for the 2023-24 season.
Blue Jackets Draft Recap: Rd 1 (6) – David Jiricek, D (HC Plzen/Czechia), Rd 1 (12) – Denton Mateychuk, D (Moose Jaw/WHL), Rd 2 (44) – Luca Del Bel Belluz, C (Mississauga/OHL)… Rd 3 (96) – Jordan Dumais, RW (Halifax/QMJHL)… Rd 4 (109) – Kirill Dolzhenkov, RW (Krasnaya Armiya/MHL)… Rd 5 (138) – Sergei Ivanov, G (SKA St. Petersburg/MHL)… Rd 7 (203) – James Fisher, RW (Belmont Hill/USHS-MA).
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