AHL All-Star Luca Del Bel Belluz is dominating, but is still unproven in the NHL

Yesterday the Cleveland Monsters announced that Canadian forward Luca Del Bel Belluz has been named an AHL All-Star for the 2025-26 season. He currently has 10 goals and 24 points in just 22 games this season with Cleveland.

After being drafted 44th overall in 2022 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Del Bel Belluz is halfway through his third season with the Cleveland Monsters, and has already been named to the AHL All-Star Team twice, a true testament to his consistency and quick development.

Luca Del Bel Belluz is seemingly too good for the minors, but hasn't stood out in the NHL

Across those three seasons, he has led the charge offensively, with 46 goals and 108 points in 141 games while being reliable in his own end as the center on the Monsters' top forward line.

However, after two extended stints in the NHL, Luca hasn't done enough to secure a permanent role at the top level despite this prolonged success in the AHL.

Last season, Del Bel Belluz was able to score 8 points in 15 games with the Blue Jackets in a bottom-six role, and impressed many with his quick thinking and confident two-way game. This led to high hopes for him this season, which has been the case so far in the AHL, but he wasn't able to match this success in the NHL this year.

Del Bel Belluz got a shot to prove himself through 13 games with Columbus in November and December. However, only one point and very unimpressive offensive creation in a still-limited role have led to him being sent back down to the AHL, where he remains for now.

Although his offense may have been lacking this time, his defense was definitely improved. In those 13 games, Del Bel Belluz allowed 2.46 goals against per 60 minutes, the lowest number in that category among all Columbus forwards according to MoneyPuck.

However, with some key shakeups to the forward group since then, plus a new face behind the bench, there certainly may be another opportunity around the corner for Del Bel Belluz.

Especially with a particular focus on improving the defensive aspect of the Blue Jackets' game, which he has proven to excel at, it will be interesting to see if he gets another close look.

In the meantime, Luca will be participating in both the skills competition on February 10th and the 3-on-3 tournament on the 11th. If you haven't caught any Monsters games this season, it may be worth tuning in to these events to take a look at perhaps the Blue Jackets' most NHL-ready prospect.