Despite an eleventh-hour draft day deal that saw Florida and Columbus swap positions, it was a foregone conclusion that the Panthers were going after Jay with their first round pick. They fully expected him to step right into their NHL lineup and, of course, that is what he did. Ultimately taken third overall, Bouwmeester was a defensive stalwart for both the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) and Team Canada, with whom he won a silver medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships. He collected an assist in his NHL debut on October 10, 2002.