Today, the NHL announced the CBJ schedule for the 2006/7 season.

The season opens against Vancouver on October 6, and features a division matchup on New Year’s Eve against the Blackhawks.

Also, this is currently classified as a “rumor,” but the Jackets might have a home preseason game against the world champion ‘Canes in September! More on that later, if it pans out.

The CBJ took center Derick Brassard as their first pick on Saturday. Brass (his moniker) earned the Michael Bossy trophy winner as Quebec’s best pro hockey prospect last year. He scored 44 goals and had 72 assists – in just 58 games, and despite breaking his wrist.

It seems clear now that the CBJ has spent the past couple of years building a “finesse” team… Brass will join the team’s other three talented group of youths: Zherdev, Nash, and Brule. All four are finesse players with excellent playmaking ability. Brass is likely to be the speediest player among them.

He’s a little too small to be an effective NHL center right now (6’1″, 172 lbs.), so no doubt he’ll be sent to Syracuse to bulk up. Expect to see him at Nationwide when he gets closer to 200 lbs., perhaps as early as 2007/2008, barring any injuries. The future looks to be an exciting, high scoring one.