Columbus Blue Jackets Season in Review: Hunter McKown

Arriving onto the scene late in the season, Hunter McKown joined the Blue Jackets out of the collegiate level. With his time here  limited to just 12 games this year, he quickly tried to establish himself as a future NHL player.

McKown may be a classic late bloomer, depending on how you look at things. The California native was relegated into depth minutes with the USNTDP in his draft year, which led to his rights going unclaimed despite being ranked somewhere in the later rounds. That season, he scored just one goal and 8 assists in 41 games, split between the U17 and U18 squads.

He headed to Colorado College (NCAA) as an 18 year old, again playing depth minutes but producing fairly well for a young player at that level; scoring 2 goals and 6 points in 23 games as a freshman. The following year, as a sophomore, his production ramped way up – McKown scored 21 points in 35 games, including 13 goals. NHL teams began to take notice.

This year, he really turned some heads – finishing tied for 8th in college hockey with 21 goals in 38 games played. He only added 7 assists; but for a team like the Jackets, desperate for help down the middle, this player was too appealing to pass up. They signed McKown to a three year entry-level contract on March 20. He joined the team immediately, and debuted in the NHL just four nights later.

McKown scored his first NHL point – an assist – in his first game, against the New York Islanders. Right away, we saw glimpses of his high quality shot and playmaking ability; as well as strong two-way play, including being solid at the faceoff dot. He brought NHL size (6’1″, 205 pounds), and a swagger for a team that really needed his help late in the season.

Overall, I thought he showed really well, in spite of the fact that he only earned 2 assists. Imagine going from playing against collegiate players one day, to centering an NHL second line just a couple of weeks later. The adjustment to the speed and pace of the game has to be overwhelming, but McKown brought poise and confidence, which allowed him to be a solid player for the Jackets.

Final season stats: 12 games played, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, 8 PIMs, -4, 13 shots on goal. Overall grade: incomplete

With a few more appearances, I think McKown was primed to start scoring. By the time the season was over, he was starting to see more than 17 minutes per game, and it seemed like the offense was coming. Unfortunately, he was signed late so it’s hard to give him a grade either way. I do think he’ll be competing for an NHL job this fall, even with the sudden influx of good young centers returning to the Jackets. He has all of the traits of a strong two-way center in this league, including the ability to chip in some timely goals. This was a solid free agent pickup by the Jackets.