Blue Jackets Recall Trey Fix-Wolansky From AHL’s Cleveland Monsters

The Blue Jackets made a move to try to spark their lineup on Thursday, recalling winger Trey Fix-Wolansky from the Cleveland Monsters (AHL).

They had to do something. After losing their sixth game in a row on Tuesday night, the Blue Jackets made one of the few moves they could make without losing a key player. By placing veteran winger Emil Bemstrom on waivers, they freed up a spot for Fix-Wolansky, who is currently the 5th leading scorer in the American Hockey League.

It seems like forever ago that the Jackets took the stocky winger in the 7th round of the NHL Entry Draft. Maybe it was forever ago. It’s been more than 7 years since “TFW” was the team’s 204th overall pick. He spent one more season in the WHL after being drafted, and since has played mostly in the AHL, where he’s scored 64 goals and 155 points in 177 career games. This includes last season, where he set career highs across the board; scoring 29 goals, 42 assists and 71 points in just 61 games played.

He’s no stranger to the Jackets, either. He’s played stretches with the team in each of the previous two seasons, totaling 15 games and scoring 2 goals and 1 assist in the process. This year, he’s off to a red hot start, picking up right where he left off last season with 4 goals and 16 points through 11 games. His 1.45 points per game leads all AHL players (minimum 10 games played) so far. It really seems like he deserved his chance in the NHL with his play, which has separated him from the pack early on.

At 5’7″ and 180 pounds, he’s not the biggest guy by any stretch. But, he’s an antagonist, the kind of player who doesn’t miss an opportunity to finish a check, and loves to stir the pot after the whistle. The Jackets could use a little bit of that character, as one thing they’ve struggled with is lost momentum. Sometimes, a post-whistle scrum can get the crowd into the game – and, in turn, get the team into it as well.

With all that said, it’s not hard to see that this could very well be Trey’s last chance to make an impact with the Blue Jackets. He’ll be 25 years old in May, and the prospect pool is quickly filling up around him. Hopefully, he can be one of the missing pieces to the early season puzzle for the Blue Jackets. I do like this player, and I’m excited to see if he can stick around this time.