A week before training camp, the Blue Jackets assembled an intriguing roster for the annual Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament.
After practicing Wednesday in Columbus, the Jackets boarded a plane to Traverse City, Michigan, where they’ll square off Thursday (3:30 p.m.), Saturday (3:30 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.) at Centre Ice Arena against prospects from the host Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.
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The “tournament” is a showcase event after the loss of several teams led to the elimination of a bracket-style playoff format, but it remains an attraction for NHL scouts, executives and agents. Columbus usually fares well in Northern Michigan and the Blue Jackets again have a team filled with highly-touted prospects.
Here are 10 to watch:
Columbus Blue Jackets C Adam Fantilli, third overall pick (2023)
Fantilli’s straight-line speed, powerful game and shooting helped him garner college hockey’s MVP honor last season, the Hobey Baker Award, as a true freshman for Michigan. Those traits also got him drafted by the Blue Jackets third overall in July and will likely get him an immediate NHL lineup spot. The question is where Fantilli will fit among the Jackets’ top 12 forwards.
Will he remain a center? Will he play a top-six role?
Fantilli will almost certainly get the opportunity to center the Jackets’ top line in Traverse City, which could become a springboard into his first NHL camp, similar to Cole Sillinger and Yegor Chinakhov in 2021 and Kirill Marchenko last year.
Columbus Blue Jackets D David Jiricek, sixth overall pick (2022)
After an offseason spent mostly in Czechia, a lot of eyes will be focused on Jiricek in Traverse City. This will be his second prospects showcase, and this one has more importance.
Is Jiricek ready for an NHL role?
An argument can be made for it based on his AHL rookie season for the Cleveland Monsters, which included a league All-Star nomination at age 19 while experiencing life outside Czechia for the first time. Jiricek also dominated at the 2023 world junior tournament in January, leading Czechia to a silver medal. A strong showing in Northern Michigan could provide a big boost going into NHL camp.
Columbus Blue Jackets D Denton Mateychuk, 12th overall pick (2022)
Mateychuk and forward Jordan Dumais are in a bit of a pickle from a developmental standpoint. They’ve both shown that junior hockey isn’t providing much of a challenge, but neither is old enough to join the professional ranks unless they make an NHL roster.
That’s part of the NHL’s longstanding agreement with the Canadian Hockey League’s juniors circuit, which keeps players under the age of 20 in the junior ranks unless they’re in the NHL. One look at the Blue Jackets’ depth chart is all it takes to see that Mateychuk and Dumais have steep hills to climb to earn NHL roles. Standing out in Traverse City would be a good starting point.
Columbus Blue Jackets F Dmitri Voronkov, 2019 fourth-round pick
Similar to Chinakhov in 2021 and Marchenko last year, Voronkov’s arrival from the KHL carries lofty expectations. He’s a big body (6-4, 215), plays with an edge and has shown scoring skill around the net the past three years while helping Akbars Kazan become one of the KHL’s top teams. Now he’s in Columbus and has a chance, like Chinakhov and Marchenko, to turn a few heads in Traverse City.
Columbus Blue Jackets D Corson Ceulemans, 2021 first-round pick
Ceulemans spent the past two seasons playing for the University of Wisconsin before opting to start his pro career last spring. Ceulemans stood out for the Badgers, but the team struggled both years before undergoing a coaching change last season. Wisconsin’s poor play made it more difficult to assess individual play, so Ceulemans can use this season to solidify his spot within a Blue Jackets depth chart that’s teeming with defensive prospects.
Columbus Blue Jackets LW James Malatesta, 2021 fifth-round pick
This will be Malatesta’s third spin in Traverse City and there’s a new head coach in Columbus who’ll be watching live at Centre Ice Arena. Mike Babcock will get another look at Malatesta, who stood out as one of the top players at the Jackets’ development camp in July. Malatesta’s blend of gritty play and scoring with a fireplug body could be a starter set for Brad Marchand, but he needs to continue his impressive play from last season in juniors to catch his new coaching staff’s attention.
Columbus Blue Jackets RW Jordan Dumais, 2022 third-round pick
As mentioned earlier, Dumais and Mateychuk are each NHL-or-junior prospects who will likely wind up playing – and dominating ― for another season in Canada’s top junior division. Should either change that projected path, it probably starts with a strong showing in Traverse City. Dumais, an undersized forward (5-9, 175) has shown the skill to do it.
He’s topped 100 points for the Halifax Mooseheads the past two years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, including a whopping 140 points (54 goals, 86 assists) in 64 games last season. Skating speed is a challenge.
Columbus Blue Jackets D Stanislav Svozil, 2021 third-round pick
Svozil has steadily climbed the Blue Jackets’ organizational depth chart since he was drafted, becoming a dangerous offensive defenseman for the Regina Pats of Western Hockey League and for Czechia’s national world junior teams. Playing with Chicago Blackhawks star prospect Connor Bedard helped boost his offensive numbers, but Svozil also helped Bedard pad his stats. Now he’s in Traverse City looking to show he’s fully healthy following an offseason ankle injury.
Columbus Blue Jackets C Hunter McKown, free agent, Colorado College
McKown opted to sign with the Blue Jackets last spring after his junior season at Colorado College and finished the year playing 12 games for Columbus. He’s a center with an NHL-ready body (6-1, 205) and will likely start the season in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters. Depending on how his first full professional season goes, McKown could be one of the first Blue Jackets call-ups if a center is needed.
Columbus Blue Jackets LW Mikael Pyyhtia, 2020 fourth-round pick
Pyyhtia had an impressive breakout in 2021-22 with TPS in Finland’s top division (Liiga). He finished with a scoring line of 21 goals, 14 assists and 35 points in 54 games before adding 8-5-13 in 18 playoff games. Pyyhtia’s production dipped to 7-13-20 in 47 games and 0-2-2 in three playoff contests last season before moving to Cleveland to finish with 3-0-3 in seven AHL games.
He also made his NHL debut with 0-1-1 in two games for the Blue Jackets, but this year is critical in his development plan. Playing well in Traverse City could spark another breakout.
bhedger@dispatch.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 10 Blue Jackets prospects to follow in Traverse City
