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Kevin Stenlund: The Columbus Blue Jackets’ New No. 11

By William Espy

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 30: Cleveland Monsters center Kevin Stenlund (82) controls the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Syracuse Crunch and Cleveland Monsters on November 30, 2018, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 30: Cleveland Monsters center Kevin Stenlund (82) controls the puck during the second period of the American Hockey League game between the Syracuse Crunch and Cleveland Monsters on November 30, 2018, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Kevin Stenlund was recently recalled to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he’ll be wearing a number that’s very familiar to fans.

The Columbus Blue Jackets recently announced the recall of Kevin Stenlund to the NHL for the first time among other news on Twitter (see below). Stenlund hasn’t been a superstar in the AHL during his first full season with the Cleveland Monsters, but saying he’s been good would be an understatement as well.

He has a rocket of a shot and will likely fill in for Brandon Dubinsky for the foreseeable future as Dubinsky and Markus Hannikainen are out with injury. Stenlund’s stats are fairly impressive for a first year North American professional with him currently holding a stat line of 9-7-16 through 33 games.

Kevin Stenlund had a very impressive pre-season and it seemed like he had just missed the opening night roster. Many fans hoped we’d see him in the NHL this season and it appears that their hopes will become a reality.

He’s older than a majority of Blue Jackets prospects at 22, however he’s coming over with experience from the Swedish Hockey League, which means he has quite a bit of professional experience even if it was on an international style sheet of ice.

Some fans will almost certainly be upset at the quick turnover of the number 11, which was formerly worn by Matt Calvert for quite a while. However, Stenlund has the potential to be a much better player than Calvert was. It’s quite possible that Stenlund takes advantage of this opportunity and never goes back to the AHL as well.

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With a lot of uncertainty hanging over the Blue Jackets at the moment, Stenlund gives the fans something to be excited about. He’ll be a solid forward however it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to impress John Tortorella enough to stay in the lineup when the rest of the team is healthy.

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