Another Jarmo Kekalainen draft pick has earned a contract extension under Don Waddell. This morning, the Blue Jackets announced a new one-year, two-way contract for Corson Ceulemans.
Ceulemans becomes the second prospect to earn a "show me" deal from Waddell over the last couple of weeks, joining another former Kekalainen draft pick (James Malatesta).
Drafted by the Blue Jackets in the first round (#25 overall), Corson has not developed as quickly as we might have hoped. Which is a bummer, because this is the pick the team acquired in the trade that sent former captain Nick Foligno to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
You want to make these trades sting for the other guys. Instead, all the Blue Jackets have to show for it at this point is a prospect that might be getting his final chance within the organization. Can he make an impact next season? Maybe...
He had a breakout year for the Cleveland Monsters.
In his third full season with the Cleveland Monsters, Corson showed a lot of improvement. He finished the campaign with 8 goals and 24 points in 64 games, doubling his previous career high and placing second on the team in scoring from the blue line.
This is the kind of offensive game that made him a first round pick in the first place. The Monsters (and Blue Jackets) have been waiting for him to find his confidence at the pro level for quite a while, and their patience was finally rewarded last season.
His much improved play had many wondering if he might be ready to compete for a job in the NHL next season. That's definitely possible, but even though the Blue Jackets have an opening on their blue line; I think he's a long shot to make the cut.
Ahead of him are six guys who played in the NHL last season, and I would argue that adding another puck mover to the blue line is not the solution the team is looking for right now. That doesn't mean he can't see time with the Jackets. I'm just not sure it happens out of training camp.
At 6'2" and around 200 pounds, he has a good frame for the position. His best tool is his skating. He's able to glide up and down the ice very smooth, which helps his team in transition on both sides of the puck.
However, to this point, he's continued to struggle with reads at both ends of the ice. This past season, his offensive game was much improved. But, there are still a lot of holes in his own end.
Of course, it's a lot easier to teach a guy how to defend, than it is to teach them how to generate offense. So, all of this can be corrected in time. The problem is, Ceulemans is now 23 years old, so time may be running out. This feels like a make it or break it contract for the former first rounder.
I'll be interested to see how he looks at the team's prospects camp this summer, and early in main training camp this fall. If he can find a complete game, he could be a surprising difference maker for the Blue Jackets.
Add us as a preferred source on Google