Blue Jackets draft Liam Foudy 18th overall
The Columbus Blue Jackets selected forward Liam Foudy 18th overall on Friday.
Liam Foudy
Position: C
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 183 lbs.
Age: 18
Club: London Knights (OHL)
Nationality: Canadian
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 G/GP | 5v5 P/GP | 5v5 GF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 24 | 16 | 40 | 0.25 | 0.4 | 44.59 |
(Analytics courtesy: prospect-stats.com)
Foudy slotted in at No. 91 in NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings of North American skaters, but he shot all the way up to No. 19 in the final edition after pouring in 33 points over the final 30 regular-season games.
The Scarborough, Ontario-born forward wasn't playing much early in the campaign, but he took full advantage of a midseason roster shakeup and the increased ice time that resulted from it.
"Early on in the year, we saw what we thought was a top-end player and his playing time was really limited," Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "He dropped a little bit only because we couldn't get a read. But as we saw him play and as his playing time went up, he showed us what we thought he was and even more from what the beginning of the year said. He's earned his status to be a first-round rank for us."
He also has a sports pedigree, as his father, Sean, played six seasons as a defensive back in the CFL, and his mother, France Gareau, was an Olympic sprinter who claimed a silver medal with Canada in the 4x100m relay in 1984.