We have long thought highly of prospect James Malatesta here at Union & Blue. In fact, last season we penciled him in as a potential Blue Jacket. Unfortunately, none of that came to fruition, and in the end, it was a lost season. As a result, he falls to #19 on our list.
The top prospects list was compiled by a collective ranking from all of the writers at Union and Blue: Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem. We only include players 24 years and under, with fewer than 25 NHL games. Stats are from the previous season, in the league where each player spent the most time. Projections are based on top-end upside.
Top prospect #19: LW James Malatesta
How we ranked him: Mike, Weston, Struan (not ranked); Curtis (14), Matthew (15). Last year, Malatesta was ranked #13 on this list.
This year, Malatesta was the biggest faller in our top-20 list, falling 6 spots and landing just inside of the top-20. Part of that is due to the addition of some new names on the list. But, part of that is due to the fact that his development continued to stall out.
After scoring 20 goals and 36 points 97 AHL games across his first two seasons pro, "Jimmy" struggled to stay healthy enough to make a bigger impact this season. He scored just 10 goals and 18 points in 57 games with the Cleveland Monsters.
At this point, we have quite a different perspective in comparison to the player who scored 2 goals and 3 points in the final two games of the regular season for the Blue Jackets, back at the end of the 2023-24 season.
That doesn't mean we do not like Malatesta as a prospect. In fact, I'm personally still pretty high on him, despite the lack of production. And, the team still has faith, having re-signed him for another year.
The reasoning is simple: I don't see him as a top-six player in the NHL, so the lack of productivity isn't the end of the world. Long-term, I see him as a checking line pest, bringing some energy, physicality, and snarl to the bottom of the lineup. He does that pretty effectively for the Monsters, whether he's scoring or not.
But, with that said, he does need to bring a little more offense to the mix if he's going to become an every day NHL player. So, it feels like this season is a make or break year for Jimmy and the Jackets. If he can rediscover the game that allowed him to score 14 goals in 18 QMJHL playoff games in his final junior season, he will rocket right back onto the team's radar.
Pros: high motor, physicality, sneaky goal scoring, professional pest
Cons: limited upside, undersized, slowed production
Projection: checking line/energy winger
James still has the opportunity to become an NHL player with the Blue Jackets. Maybe even as early as next season. He just needs to get his game back on track and stay healthy. Had he not struggled this year, it would have been easy to see him projecting into the role the team just signed Ryan Lomberg to fill.
He could be that kind of player in the near future. Lets hope he can make a bigger difference this season.
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