1. Jet Greaves
There may not be a player on the Blue Jackets that has been asked to prove himself more than Jet Greaves. He started his professional hockey career back in 2021 when he began with the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL, which is one level below the AHL, where he got promoted after 15 games. He finished his season with the Monsters, playing 29 games and maintaining a .905 save percentage.
The next two years, Jet mainly played in the AHL, with a few starts with Columbus sprinkled in. His initial breakout started in the 2024 AHL playoffs, where Jet Greaves led all starting goalies with a stunning .926 save percentage in 13 games.
After remaining at the top of the AHL with a .920 save percentage in 40 regular season games the next year, Jet finally got his first extended look in Columbus while the Jackets were pushing for a playoff spot.
Jet won all five crucial games that he played in April, allowing just four goals and recording a .975 save percentage during that time. In the full 11 games that he played, Jet led the NHL in save percentage and GAA (Goals Against Average).
This caused the Blue Jackets to finally give him an opportunity to win the full-time starting role from fellow goalie Elvis Merzlikins after Don Waddell traded backup goalie Daniil Tarasov during this past offseason.
He will now look to take full control of the Blue Jackets crease and play a large role in Columbus’ playoff hopes. He has worked his way through the organization for four years and has gotten better in every game that he has played in.
It’s finally time to find out whether his league-best puck-stopping ability has been a result of a small sample size, or if he really is one of the best goaltenders in the world.
Whether it’s Jet Greaves, Denton Mateychuk, Adam Fantilli, or even a player who couldn’t quite crack this list, there are many Blue Jackets that are going to improve and continue to have strong development while trying to help Columbus make its first playoff appearance in five years.
The incredible young talent that this organization has won’t only impact this season, but many years to come. You can’t help but wonder if the players we watch this season could one day help bring the Stanley Cup to Columbus.