The Columbus Blue Jackets boast a strong pool of young talent, and that was on display on Monday as five Blue Jackets prospects were invited to their respective nations’ camps in preparation for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships, including general manager Jarmo Kekalainen’s first three selections from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
No less than four Blue Jackets prospects were invited to the USA Hockey tryout camp, headlined by 2015 1st round pick Zach Werenski. Not only is Werenski virtually a lock to anchor the blueline for the United States at the tournament, but he’s also going to be a strong candidate to wear the “C” for the team. The 6’2″, 215 pound Werenski has been a standout this season at the University of Michigan, where he’s put up four goals and ten points in 13 games for the powerhouse squad.
Another likely lock is Sonny Milano, the skilled forward currently plying his trade for Lake Erie in the AHL. Milano put up four points in five games during last year’s tournament, and has already graduated to pro hockey at just 19 years of age. Milano has put up a fairly strong four goals and 11 points in 22 games for the Monsters, doing so in a league where it’s rare to see a sub-20 year old play any minutes at all. He’ll be counted on to be a top scorer for the red, white and blue.
Though he hasn’t got the flashy skills of Milano or Werenski, hulking defender Ryan Collins almost assuredly has a slot locked up. At 6’5″, 205, Collins has a long reach and is going to be trusted to use his size to keep the front of the net clear of opposing bodies. He’s not much on the offensive game, with just three assists in 13 games for the University of Minnesota, but he’ll be counted on as a shutdown defender, especially on the penalty kill.
The only surprise invitee of the four is Paul Bittner, the 6’4″ Portland Winter Hawks power forward. The 2015 2nd rounder has the size that a lot of other prospective American forwards lack, and also has the talent to play with more offensively-inclined linemates and produce consistently. His production has dwindled a bit this season after losing teammates Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nic Petan to the pro game, but Bittner has still put up a respectable 20 points in 24 games for the Winter Hawks. While it was a bit of a surprise to see Bittner named to the tryout camp roster over more skilled offensive forwards like Jeremy Bracco and Columbus native Jack Roslovic, I would now be surprised to see Bittner not make the team.
Sweden also has one Columbus prospect at camp, 2015 1st rounder Gabriel Carlsson. The youngest player on his Swedish Hockey League club team Linkoping, Carlsson is another big shutdown-type defender with good hockey IQ and a bit of offensive input every now and again. He’s got four points in 22 games for Linkoping, and eight points in eight games for Linkoping’s J20 team. He’s going to be counted on to be a penalty kill expert for Sweden. I’d look to see Carlsson paired with fellow Linkoping defender Gustav Forsling for this tournament.
The only notable CBJ prospect omission was Cape Breton Screaming Eagles defender Olivier LeBlanc. A long shot to get an invite to Canada’s tryout camp, the 2014 7th rounder ultimately did not make the final cut of 30 players.
The World Juniors begin on Boxing Day, December 26, with four games on the docket, and none bigger than Canada facing off against the United States at 1PM EST.
– Jeremy
Follow me on twitter, @307x.
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