With the 14th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected defenseman Jackson Smith. The Blue Jackets are hoping that Smith will be an important part of their roster in the future, as he has plenty of potential. Due to this and his strong freshman season with Penn State University, Jackson has landed some big-time praise. TSN's Craig Button released his latest top 50 NHL-affiliated prospect rankings [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/iginla-no-1-habs-among-nhl-leaders-in-buttons-top-50-prospects-ranking/], and Smith was given the No. 34 spot. When looking at how well Smith has played this campaign for Penn State, it makes sense that he has been included in Button's rankings. The 6-foot-4 blueliner has played in 33 games this season with the school, where he has recorded 11 goals, 14 assists, 25 points, and a plus-1 rating. With numbers like these, there is no question that he has made an impact during this campaign. Smith also impressed this past season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. In 68 games with Tri-City in 2024-25, he had 11 goals, 43 assists, and 54 points. With this, there is no question that the 18-year-old defenseman has good upside. It will now be interesting to see how Smith continues to grow his game. The potential for him to be a nice part of the Blue Jackets' roster in the future is undoubtedly there.
