Back to the Columbus Blue Jackets Newsfeed

Drafting Success Rate: How does Jarmo Kekalainen stack up to his stated goals?

After another draft where Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen went off the board, this time by selecting Russian overager Yegor Chinakhov with the 21st overall pick, many began to ask questions of the man in charge. Is he a mad genius with a flair for finding guys other teams might have overlooked? Is he simply beholden to his initial impressions of a player and refused to budge? Is the truth somewhere in the middle?

We’re here today to try to find out what Jarmo looks for while drafting.

Jarmo’s background is in scouting - Kekalainen worked with the St.