Columbus Blue Jackets 18-19 Prospects Expectations: Andrew Peeke
The Columbus Blue Jackets 2016 2nd round pick enters his junior year at the University of Notre Dame.
We continue looking at the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects and the expectations they have for their upcoming season. Many are playing in European leagues, some in Cleveland, and some, like Andrew Peeke, are competing in the NCAA.
Peeke is entering his junior year with the powerhouse Fighting Irish team. Notre Dame won both the Big Ten regular season title and the tournament championship for the conference last year. Peeke and company went on to make a run in the NCAA tournament all the way to the title game where they fell to Minnesota-Duluth.
Peeke isn’t a player that will ever put up huge scoring numbers. He is a big, mobile defenseman that plays great in his own zone and gets the puck moving up ice quickly. Last year Peeke had 14 points in 39 games, matching his total during his freshman season.
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He also competed for Team USA at the World Junior Championship last season in Buffalo. Peeke was the seventh d-man on the Bronze winning team.
This year Peeke returns to Notre Dame and will be relied upon heavily. The 20-year-old needs to pick up a step on the ice and needs to shoot more often. He has a terrific shot and had an 8.8 shooting percentage last season. It would be nice to see that number continue to creep upward and for Peeke to add more offensive firepower to his game.
Defensively Peeke is going to be just fine. The Big Ten has some great offensive talent and he will continue to be tested this season. Whether or not he can take the step up to the NHL following this year is the question.
With a log jam of talented, young defenseman it is hard to envision a scenario where Peeke is playing in Columbus any time soon. Even if he explodes for 30 points and is the conference’s best defender, there just isn’t room on this roster for Peeke.
That is why Peeke remains unsigned by the team and will likely finish out his four years at Notre Dame. The Columbus Blue Jackets have until August, 15th of 2020 to sign Peeke or they lose his rights. That would be the summer after his senior season.
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Barring a breakout season in South Bend and a massive sell off of defensive players, don’t expect to see Peeke in union blue anytime soon. But you can see him in Columbus when the Buckeyes host the Irish on February 1st and 2nd of 2019.