Three prospects who need to dial it in.
Hunter McKown
Similar to Williams, Hunter McKown was also a post-college signee for Columbus, playing 12 games in Union Blue in 2023 after his three seasons with Colorado College.
Since then, McKown has been a bit of an inconsistent presence in Cleveland who hasn't found a concrete role with the team amid the recent influx of youth over the past couple of seasons. After scoring 55 points in his first 121 games, his 17 in 45 this season puts him at a noticeably lower scoring pace.
Hunter plays a feisty game and isn't afraid to rile up opponents, but without any standout strengths coming to fruition in Cleveland, the Blue Jackets may not see the purpose of using up a roster spot on McKown after his contract expires at the end of this season.
Jordan Dumais
One of the most intriguing prospects I believe the Blue Jackets have had over the last few years, Jordan Dumais is looking to prove himself in Cleveland this year after dealing with a few significant injuries that may have stunted his growth as a player.
Dumais was the final pick in the third round in the 2022 draft in a repeat of a common hockey story of a great player statistically falling down the draft board due to concerns about size, as Dumais stands at just 5'9 and 174 pounds today.
There's absolutely no doubt when it comes to his offense, though. The season after the draft, Dumais led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in points with a stunning 140 in 64 games, which was 21 higher than the next closest player.
As I mentioned earlier, though, some lingering hip injuries have caused Jordan to miss key development time, and a player who many thought was a sure bet to be a future big-time scorer in Columbus is now battling to stay afloat with the Monsters.
Dumais only played 21 games in Cleveland last year, tallying 11 points in a promising start to his pro hockey career, despite the setbacks. However, the crowded forward room that's causing not just him to miss out on top-six ice time combined with unimpressive defense has led to him only scoring 16 points in limited roles this season.
Luckily for Dumais, he has one more year on his entry-level contract to prove himself, and I would definitely imagine Columbus will look to retain him after that, as his raw skill and offensive instincts can't be overstated, and some consistent development in the AHL could see a return to form for Jordan and clear a path to NHL hockey.
James Malatesta
The final player that I think is worth going over as it pertains to the Blue Jackets is none other than James Malatesta. Like Dumais, Malatesta is a smaller forward drafted out of the QMJHL who developed very well in junior hockey before making the transition to the AHL.
However, Malatesta and Dumais couldn't be farther apart when it comes to how they play hockey. Despite also being just 5'9, Malatesta is by far the most physical player in Cleveland, throwing his body at opponents numerous times throughout any given game.
Unfortunately, the AHL doesn't track hits as a stat, but lucky for us, the NHL does, and Malatesta made sure we knew that when he got an opportunity to play for the Jackets.
In his first NHL game, the man referred to as Jimmy by his teammates laid down eight hits and a fight, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with right away. He had two more games with seven hits each, and he finished his NHL stint with 41 in 11 games.
Unfortunately, Malatesta's offense hasn't progressed quite at the rate as his physicality has, as the 22-year-old winger has just 11 points in 38 games this season. With James being a restricted free agent after this year, it will be interesting to see if Columbus feels that his physicality is enough to warrant another NHL contract.
With that, we have gone over every Monsters forward who bears some relevance to the Blue Jackets, again with the exception of Brendan Gaunce and Zach Aston-Reese who I assume fans are familiar with. Up next, we are going to complete a similar analysis of Cleveland's defensemen and goalies this season as well.
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