When general manager Scott Howson arrived in Columbus in 2007, he recalled looking at the depth chart and being aghast - not by what he saw, but by what he didn't see on the back end. "It was an area of need, for sure," Howson said. "Our first couple drafts after I got to Columbus, we took the approach that, all things being equal between two players, we were going to take the defenseman. We had to build that up. We had to stockpile talent on that end of the ice, and we feel like we've done it." The Blue Jackets have 10 "prospect" defensemen - players who are 22 or younger. Nine of those players were drafted under Howson's watch; the other, Teddy Ruth, was acquired in a 2008 trade with Washington. "I would now put Columbus middle-of-the-road in the NHL as far as defensemen who are still in junior, college or the minors," said Gus Katsaros, scouting coordinator for McKeen's Hockey, which publishes an annual NHL draft guide. "It's not an exceptional group, necessarily, but there are some gems there who could be really, really good players." John Moore, the Blue Jackets' first-round pick (No.21 overall) last summer, is considered the only surefire NHL regular in the mix. He'll likely play next season for minor-league Springfield, but he might not stay in the American Hockey League for long.