The Columbus Blue Jackets seem to finally have the ship pointed in the right direction. Under the guidance of head coach Rick Bowness, the NHL team is rocketing up the standings.
Meanwhile, their American Hockey League affiliate Cleveland Monsters are doing exactly the same thing. Like the NHL team, they have also won 5 games in a row.
Currently, the Monsters are 22-14-6 (50 points), which has them in a three-way tie for second in the AHL's North Division. However, they have a game in hand over the two teams they are tied with. And, two games in hand over the division leading Laval Rocket (56 points).
In a year where there has been a lot of turnover, the Monsters are again finding their way under head coach Trent Vogelhuber. With him at the helm, it does not seem to matter who is on the roster in Cleveland-they find a way to win.
This season, they only have two defensemen returning who played in Cleveland full-time last year. Both are former high draft picks of the Blue Jackets: Stanislav Svozil and Corson Ceulemans.
While Svozil's offensive numbers have taken a dip, you might be surprised by the output the team has gotten from Ceulemans this season. The former first round pick might just be finding his way.
We have been waiting for this for a long time.
Drafted by the Jackets with the third of three first round picks (#25 overall) back in 2021, Ceulemans is one of only four first rounders that year to have yet to play in an NHL game.
The other two CBJ first round picks in that draft were Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger. It has been a long time. But, this hasn't entirely gone against the plan.
Ceulemans was always looked at as a bit of a project. His raw talent made him a first round pick, but the Blue Jackets knew all along that it would take a lot of molding to turn him into a legitimate two-way player in the NHL. And, don't forget: sometimes it takes longer for defensemen.
But, patience is paying off. Five years after being selected, he seems to be finding his way.
This season, Corson is showing signs of the player the organization hoped he would become. Through 41 games, he leads all Monsters defensemen in scoring with 8 goals and 19 points, including 4 goals in 5 games at the end of the month.
At 6'2" and around 200 pounds, he has a lot of the tools teams look for in a young defenseman. He's an excellent skater with a good stick defensively; and he brings enough skill to make him capable of burning teams, whether in transition or with in-zone offense. Maybe best of all: he's a right shot.
The key has been putting it all together. Unfortunately, Corson has suffered some injury setbacks that have cost him important development time.
But, that hasn't been the case so far this year. He's been healthy. He has played in nearly every game for the Monsters, and has rewarded their patience by becoming a big difference maker.
As we all know, Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell will not want to rush anything here. So, Corson is going to have to continue his strong play if he wants to have a shot at making the CBJ roster any time soon.
Hopefully, he can keep it up. Tip of the cap to both the player and the developmental staff within the organization. Sometimes, it just takes a little extra patience.