COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Rick Nash arrived in the NHL, he had to learn how to play without the puck. That wasn’t just on the defensive side, either. Nash needed to learn to rely on his linemates to score goals, rather than trying to create his own offense.Nash didn’t know how to play without the puck because he’d never done it before reaching the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets. His raw talent and knack for scoring goals carried him all the way through major junior to the NHL.Fast-forward nearly a quarter-century, and the Blue Jackets have a young prospect confronting a similar challenge but on the other end of the ice.Defenseman Jackson Smith, the No. 14 pick in 2025 by the Blue Jackets, was in Columbus for a large chunk of last month, including the club’s annual development camp. He was one of four first-round picks from the last three drafts to take part in the camp.NHL free agency: Early winners and losersShayna Goldman and Madison EadesSmith, who turned 19 in May, is 6-foot-4, 208 pounds. But he has the light, agile feet of a much smaller player, and he gets up and down the ice with such speed and a natural stride that even longtime scouts tend to gawk.That combination of size and speed makes Smith an imposing player, but it’s also given him a tremendous margin for error. He can take chances that other defenders can’t take, because he has the ability to recover.Smith set scoring records at Penn State and finished second among defensemen in the Big Ten as a freshman with 11 goals and 15 assists in 35 games. Keep in mind, the NCAA can be a huge learning curve for 18-year-olds.But the biggest strides he’s made — and needs to continue to make before he arrives in Columbus — are on the defensive end.“I know as I keep going up (in the ranks) those chances have the potential to bite me in the butt more,” Smith said. “In the D zone, it’s just all about intensity. I’ve tried to add that to my game a bit more.“It’s something I think I’ve improved on, but it’s continuing to do that and getting better — making it the routine — so that at the next level I can play in any situation.”Smith said it took him a couple of weeks at Penn State last season to understand that he was playing at a different level than the Western Hockey League. It helped, of course, that Gavin McKenna, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ No. 1 overall pick last month, was a fellow freshman with the Nittany Lions.“A big part of my game is making plays, and I’m going to keep taking chances in certain situations. It’s just limiting mistakes,” Smith said. “And at each higher level you go, it’s an adjustment.“It’s definitely going to be harder in the NHL. But a lot of guys I know who have played in the NHL say that, in some ways, it can be easier because everybody around you is in the right spot. But I know it’s going to be tougher to defend against NHL guys because everybody in the league is incredible. It’s the best league in the world.”It’s hard to express how excited the Blue Jackets are about Smith, the organization’s No. 1 prospect. He’s added 18 pounds of muscle since he was drafted, taking full advantage of the rhythm of college hockey — weekday practices and workouts, weekend games — and fully lived the college experience.Further, he has all the elements of a top-notch defenseman that cannot be taught. He also has the humility to recognize the improvements he has to make and work hard at them.“(Penn State) is probably the best decision I’ve ever made,” Smith said. “I wanted to get strong, and I’ve done that. I’m still doing that. I was skinny when the Blue Jackets drafted me.“The competition has been really good for me. It’s harder, and it’s a different style of hockey (from the WHL). It’s a lot more intense, a lot more defensively sound. Fewer games, right, so everybody is dialed in when the puck drops.