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Traverse City Prospect Notes

By Curtis Deem |
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 13: Kent Johnson #13 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates after the puck during the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Nationwide Arena on April 13, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus defeated Montreal 5-1. Johnson was making his NHL debut in the game. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 13: Kent Johnson #13 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates after the puck during the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Nationwide Arena on April 13, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus defeated Montreal 5-1. Johnson was making his NHL debut in the game. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
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The Blue Jacket prospects took a 3-2 OT win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, finishing their Traverse City run with a 2-1-0 record. While the final game of the tournament was much closer than most expected, the team performed well enough to get the job done and afterward all 22 prospects from the roster were named to the main camp for the Blue Jackets. The team as a whole was solid, and this list will highlight the players who led the way.

This list could very well start and end with 2022 third round pick Jordan Dumais. We all expected Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko to put on a show, and they did (more on them later); but Dumais wasted no time, scoring goals on his first two shifts of the tournament. He would go on to finish tied with Marchenko for the team lead in goals (3), and for second in overall points (5). The speedy winger seemed like he was always in the right place at the right time, and went into the hard to play areas. He’s a talented scorer who can get his shot off in a hurry. It’s no wonder he was the highest scoring CHL player available for this summer’s draft, and he had that swagger all weekend. Grade: A+

Kent Johnson was also terrific for the club, spending the tournament as their captain and top line center. He led the team with 6 points and he certainly looked the part of an NHL ready player. Every time he has the puck on his stick, you simply can’t turn away. He’s a terrific puck handler who also showcased his underrated shooting ability. What impresses me the most about Kent is his ability to wait one extra moment, drawing more attention to himself before setting up his teammates. The play below is one example – notice how he makes one extra deke before flipping this puck to Marchenko in open space. This draws in a defender and gives Kirill time to catch up with the play, leading to a goal. Grade: A+

Kirill Marchenko had a slow start to the tournament, looking like he hadn’t played hockey in six months. There were some ugly turnovers in the first game from trying to do too much, but he got better as the tournament went on. By the end of the tournament, I thought he’d settled in nicely and was one of the best players on the ice. He works hard on both sides of the puck and the skill is obvious. He isn’t flashy like Johnson or speedy like Dumais, but he oozes offense and is an efficient player, needing only a slight window of opportunity to find goals. He had three points in the finale, including the OT winner (video below). While he looked rusty to start things off, he finished strong. Grade: A

Luca del bel Belluz was strong as the team’s second line center, scoring two points (1g, 1a); but I was more impressed by his mature game than his offensive production. He looked good in the faceoff circle and played above the puck, working to help both offensively and defensively. The lone goal he scored was very nice, he shows patience here and takes the ice that’s given to him, before showing off his shot. He looks like a future middle-six center in the NHL, who will give the team a quality player on both sides of the puck. Grade: B+

Mikael Pyythia unfortunately suffered an injury that took him out of the Detroit game early – and I think that threw the whole rhythm off for the team. He was a solid third piece to the top line and quietly finished the tournament with three assists. While we didn’t get to see much of him unleashing his patented shot, he proved that he can play with the most skilled guys on the roster and keep pace. He didn’t really stand out, and to be honest, that’s not all that bad for a guy like this, who I was watching very closely. He was just solid all around. Grade: B+

James Malatesta only showed up with one assist on the scoresheet, but I thought he was an important part of this team’s top-six. He’s a scrappy player who brings a lot of grit and two-way hockey, and his play shouldn’t go unnoticed as he battled hard throughout the tournament. Though undersized, he went into the corners regularly and did the dirty work to create time and space for his linemates; mostly del bel Belluz and Dumais. He reminds me a little bit of Matt Calvert, which is certainly not a bad thing. Grade: B+

QUEBEC CITY, QC – OCTOBER 18: James Malatesta #11 of the Quebec Remparts (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
QUEBEC CITY, QC – OCTOBER 18: James Malatesta #11 of the Quebec Remparts (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images) /

Liam Hawel seems like a player the Blue Jackets might be wise to offer a contract to. He’s not the best skater, but he has some skill and maybe bottom-six potential; but at the very least he seems like a guy who could help in the AHL. He was a fourth round pick of the Dallas Stars but has gone unsigned, could he perhaps be a replacement for Kevin Stenlund? I definitely think he played well enough, even scoring a nice goal in the first game. Grade: B

Denton Mateychuk really stood out on defense for me. He only had one assist, which is surprising if you watched him play. I thought he was the best player on the ice in the first game, his poise with the puck really showed through. He’s a one man breakout, able to turn and pivot, then accelerate past forechecking forwards before making a smart pass ahead. You can see why the team held onto that #12 pick rather than trading it for immediate help. I would be willing to bet they had Mateychuk MUCH higher on their list, and he is the one player they would have held onto that pick for. This guy is going to be special, just give him a couple of years to develop. Grade: A

KITCHENER, ONTARIO – MARCH 23: Denton Mateychuk #5 of Team White skates with the puck against Hunter Haight #19 of Team Red in the 2022 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on March 23, 2022 in Kitchener, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
KITCHENER, ONTARIO – MARCH 23: Denton Mateychuk #5 of Team White skates with the puck against Hunter Haight #19 of Team Red in the 2022 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on March 23, 2022 in Kitchener, Ontario. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images) /

David Jiricek was solid, but I think there’s a lot to work on here. You can see his potential as an all-around defenseman; he can skate well for a big guy, has the big shot, and is pretty good defensively. He just needs a little time to adjust to the North American game. I would also like to see him play meaner in front of the net – he has the size to do so, he just needs to work on winning body position. Consistency is the #1 trait I look for in young defensemen, and that’s another thing David needs to improve upon. He was good enough, but he didn’t dominate like many expected him to. He scored a goal in the final game and it showcases his poise and that big shot … let’s see him get open and use it more. Grade: B-

Stanislav Svozil skated in the tournament for the second straight year, and again showed that he belonged. He has surprisingly good hands for a defenseman and made a really nice play to set up Dumais for the second goal of the tournament. He’s still learning to be a defenseman, making the occasional glaring mistake – but he’s quick to make up for it with a big hit or offensive play. I like his game, he just needs to clean it up a little bit (see: consistency). Grade: B

In all I thought the team performed about as expected. They looked exhausted in the second game and simply got out-matched by a talented Detroit Red Wings squad with hot goaltending. Otherwise, the right players showed up and produced; and the NHL potential on this squad is very exciting.

That said, outside of Johnson and Marchenko, I don’t see any of these players competing for major NHL time this year – aside from maybe defenseman Marcus Bjork, but even that would be as a call-up later in the year. That may be for the better anyway, the potential is huge with guys like Mateychuk and Jiricek, but they need to develop before being thrown into prime NHL roles. If they can reach their full potential, in a few years’ time I think this tandem could be a top pairing together in the NHL. Things are really looking up for the Blue Jackets.

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