Last season, the Blue Jackets did not get much meaningful hockey from first year players, outside of Jet Greaves. The young goaltender stole the starting job and looked very good in the role, ultimately earning a nice three-year contract extension over the summer.
For skaters, however: it was a quiet year. The Jackets remained mostly healthy, and Don Waddell's tuning of the organizational depth chart helped keep the prospects out of the mix for the most part. The team got only 17 games from rookie skaters: Luca Del Bel Belluz played in 14, and Luca Pinelli had the other 3.
This year, it's going to be different. The Blue Jackets will have at least one young player make the cut, unless something drastically changes before training camp ends. Maybe more than that, depending on how things shake out.
Luca Del Bel Belluz
Del Bel Belluz is right at the top of the list. Obviously, there are no guarantees of a young player making the roster right out of training camp; but Luca is as close to guaranteed as they come. He will most likely be on the opening night roster.
That's because he will require waivers to be sent to the American Hockey League this year. There is virtually no chance he would clear the waiver wire. Someone would scoop him up. In fact, multiple teams would put in claims.
Last year, Luca led the Cleveland Monsters in scoring with 58 points (22 goals) in 55 games. At 22 years old, the young center has proven just about everything he can prove in the AHL. It's time for him to take that next step.
If he's not fully ready, he could start the year in the press box. That would be fine, but the goal should be getting Luca up to speed and into a scoring role with the Blue Jackets by the end of this season. If that does not happen, look for him to become a trade chip as the team looks for an upgrade. They can ill afford to have him stagnate for too long.
Luca Pinelli
The NHL path isn't as easy for Luca Pinelli this fall. He will come to camp with no contractual guarantees of an opening night roster spot. However, we would be insane to not mention him as a possible dark horse to win a job.
He did not score at the same pace as Del Bel Belluz, but he did finish third on the Monsters in scoring with 46 points (14 goals) in 66 games. It's also worth mentioning that Pinelli's game isn't as reliant on scoring points. He could make the roster as a role player.
Despite his small stature, Pinelli is a high motor player that can get under the skin of the opponents. He will go to the hard areas, win battles, and then have something to say about it as he skates away. Or, more annoying, he will stand in there when the play stops; which is an ingredient this team needed last year.
I think the Blue Jackets agreed, because they went out and signed a very similar player over the summer. Which probably means that Pinelli doesn't have a realistic shot at playing early in this season, and that's fine. Hopefully it allows him to develop more of the offense that was in his game at the junior level.
Guillaume Richard
This one might come as a surprise, but it should not. We can start with the big question: why have the Blue Jackets not been able to climb over the playoff hump, despite being close over the last couple of seasons? The answer: team defense.
The Jackets have some very talented puck movers on the back end, but the missing ingredient has long been a true shutdown presence; really ever since the team traded Vladislav Gavrikov. I believe Guillaume Richard could be that piece, and I am confident that he could play that role in the NHL as early as this season.
He played 70 games for the Monsters last season, scoring 7 goals and 18 points in the process. But the stat that stands out is the one that everyone hates: he was a team-leading +20 on the year. In this case, I think that number is too inflated to ignore.
The guy only scored 18 points, but somehow managed to go +20. If that isn't a ringing endorsement for someone who is capable of playing defense, I don't know what is. That stat only enhances an argument that we have been making for years: Guillaume Richard is a heck of a player.
He's a terrific skater, with the kind of gap control and defensive brain that modern shutdown defensemen have to have. He simply does his job and stays out of the penalty box. At 6'2" and around 190 pounds, he has the size to be a durable player in that role as well.
There are 7 returning defensemen on this roster from last season, but I don't think that matters. I believe Guillaume is going to force this organization to make some tough decisions later this month, and I would not be surprised if the end result is him playing on the third defense pair to start the year.
In the end, there are 23 jobs up for grabs later this month. With the assumption that Adam Fantilli is re-signed, and Isac Lundestrom starting his year on the IR; the Jackets will have 22 of those jobs apparently filled. The next assumption is Luca Del Bel Belluz sticking around, avoiding waivers.
So, you can see where the cutoff line is. If a player like Pinelli, Richard, or any of the other prospects want to be a part of the opening night roster, they are going to have to supplant a more established pro to make the cut. This should be a fun camp to watch.
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