Winnipeg Jets Select Declan Chisholm & Giovanni Vallati in the 5th Round

The Winnipeg Jets selected Declan Chisholm 150th overall and Giovanna Vallati 153rd overall in the 5th round of the NHL Draft. The Jets were without their fourth round pick after trading it for Joe Morrow at the 2018 trade deadline. The Jets added an extra fifth round pick on March 1, 2017 when the traded Drew Stafford to the Boston Bruins for a conditional pick in this year’s draft.

Chisolm is a 6’1″,185 lbs left handed defensemen known for his defensive ability and shutdown style. Chisolm was ranked as high as 96th by hockeyprospect.com and as low as 155th by Future Considerations. These rankings show that Chisolm fell slightly beyond his ranking which could help the Jets in the future.

Last season with the Peterborough Petes, Chisolm recorded one goal and four assists in 41 games. For a player billed as a defensive defensemen, he plays a clean game as he recorded only six PIM all last season. The scouting reports have Chisolm listed as a shutdown defensmen with good skating ability and decent puck-moving skills.

 

The Winnipeg Jets selected Giovanni Vallati three picks after Chisolm and there is a definite contrast between the two players even though they both are left handed defensemen. While Chisolm is primarily a defensive player, Vallati put up solid scoring totals while playing with Jets 2016 first rounder Logan Stanley on the Kitchener Rangers.

Vallati was ranked fairly high by most standards and is definitely a great pick after falling all the way to the fifth round. It definitely seems like a steal to get such a highly regarded player in the 5th round.

Stanley lead the Kitchener Rangers defensemen in points while Vallati was second. Vallati tallied 3 goals and 23 assists in 65 games last season which proves he is able to score points. Here are the highlights for Vallati’s 2017-18 season.

This is where the Jets are beginning to draft for position as both players fill arguably the weakest spot on the Jets organizational depth chart. While both players are the same position, they seem to be polar opposites in style and ability. Drafting two players in the same position with different talents is an interesting decision by Cheveldayoff. Having different types of prospects is a great idea because it gives really good depth to the organization.

Where will these players fit? Both players will have plenty of time to develop as the Jets like to take their time with their development. Both players are only 18 years old and have multiple years of eligibility in the OHL. We most likely will not see either player for at least three or four seasons as they will most likely play out their junior careers and then try to make the Manitoba Moose.

As a longterm fit, the Jets have one solid LHD in Josh Morrissey. Enstrom is likely signing elsewhere and Kulikov will not be under contract by the time these players are potentially ready for the NHL. This could open up some space in the organization and there will potentially be some internal competition between these two fifth rounds picks.