Blue Jackets' training camp roster features 56 players, here's what stands out

Hockey season is finally upon us, with the Blue Jackets holding their first press conference of the season today. With the media gathering, naturally we got leaked images of their roster for training camp this week. A few things stood out to us right away.

The roster features 56 players, breaking down to 30 forwards, 20 defensemen, and 6 goaltenders. For the first time in a long time, it's pretty easy to whittle this whole thing right down to about 22 skaters, which would leave one spot for someone on the fringe to secure.

Nothing is set in stone, however. And, this first look at the roster is somewhat telling for a few guys who might be on the outside looking in. One of the first things I noticed is that a lot of the prospects look to have grown physically over the summer.

The biggest standout in that regard might be Luca del bel Belluz, who is listed at a sturdy 185 pounds. That's pretty close to ideal playing weight for a player of his height and style, which is encouraging to see. Adding strength and weight was probably the biggest area he needed to correct to make himself NHL ready.

Some of the NHL guys seem to have gotten into better shape as well. Dmitri Voronkov is listed at 227 pounds - a big difference from the 240 pounds that he carried as a rookie two years ago. Meanwhile, Cole Sillinger looks to have added some weight, now listed at 202 pounds; as has Yegor Chinakhov who is now listed at over 200 pounds.

Overall, this team is going to be larger than we've seen throughout the recent years. Don Waddell has started to put his stamp on things, adding guys like Christian Jaros (6'5", 225), Charlie Coyle (6'3", 215), Miles Wood (6'2", 195), Hudson Fasching (6'3", 209), Caleb MacDonald (6'5", 229), and even some size in goal with Ivan Fedotov (6'7", 214).

Big man hockey making its comeback?

Size certainly seems to be an area of focus under Waddell, with several of the free agent invitees being bigger as well. The most notable name invited to camp is NHL veteran Brendan Smith, a physical 6'2", 200 pounder who can play defense or even fill in as an extra forward as needed.

Hopefully, all of this adds up to a team that is able to stay healthier over the course of an 82 game season. If they are able to have better injury luck this season, there is no reason they can't compete for a playoff spot. This is a strong, deep team that has pieces in a lot of the right places.

Training camp begins in earnest on Wednesday with physicals and off-ice testing. On-ice practices begin Thursday, with the team dropping the puck on its preseason at home on Sunday against the St Louis Blues.