The Columbus Blue Jackets still have a handful of prospects whose postseason play has pushed into later rounds.
As the Columbus Blue Jackets prepare to start their postseason play, several of their prospects are in the heart of a playoff push. From major junior hockey in Canada, to Sweden, to Russia, future Blue Jackets are having impressive showings in their respective postseasons.
In Russia, one of the brighter spots in the prospect pool though has seen his season come to an end. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and the powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg were eliminated in their quest for the Gagarin Cup. Not before Gavrikov posted five points in 15 games for the defending champs.
It has been quite a year for Gavrikov who still has one more season in the KHL before he could come to Columbus. He won an Olympic Gold Medal with the Olympic Athletes from Russia and will likely be a staple on the upcoming World Championship team.
Gavrikov after he was eliminated talked about how he was keeping track of the Columbus Blue Jackets and will watch them in the playoffs.
Gavrikov’s quote ‘I’m following Columbus, but I still have one year contract left. Panarin rocks and Bobrovsky is awesome and the team is doing great without me. Good luck to them. I’ll cheer for them in the series against Washington’.
— Yevgeni Belousov (@Belowoosov) April 8, 2018
In Switzerland, goalie prospect Elvis Merzlikins has led his HC Lugano squad to the NLA finals. Merzlikins has led Lugano to the finals of the top Swiss league by posting an impressive 2.56 goals agains average and a .921 save percentage. The young Latvian is living up to the lofty expectations many had for him this season.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Sweden
Farther north in Scandinavia, the Columbus Blue Jackets sixth round pick this season Jonathan Davidsson season is on the brink of elimination. His Djurgårdens IF squad is down three games to one in the SHL semifinals. Davidsson has been impressive though with eight points in nine games in the postseason.
Another Jackets 2017 draftee, Emil Bemstrom, saw his season come to an end this week. The 18-year-old playing in Allsvenskan, the second tier in Swedish Hockey, saw his Leksands IF squad fall in the qualification round to see if they would be promoted to the SHL next season.
Canada
Three of the more promising Columbus Blue Jackets prospects are still chugging through the CHL playoffs. Both Vitali Abramov’s Victoriaville Tigres and Maxime Fortier’s Halifax Mooseheads squads moved on to the second round the QMJHL playoffs.
Abramov has 12 points in eight games and his Tigres are two games to one. Abramov will not be done with his QMJHL season in time to get any ice time for the Cleveland Monsters. The Monsters season will end on Saturday and the earliest Abramov’s year would end on is next Monday. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be called up to join the black aces as the Jackets move through the playoffs.
The same can be said for Kole Sherwood whose Kitchener Rangers. Their second round series is tied up at one game a piece. Sherwood has continued netting goals for the Rangers and now has nine in eight playoff games.
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The prospect pool, although not as deep as it once was, still is impressive and a bright spot for the franchise. Many of these players will be in Cleveland next season where they are desperately needed as the Monsters have the worst record in the AHL.