Blue Jackets return Luca Pinelli to juniors, where he'll have huge expectations this season

The Blue Jackets cut just one player on Thursday, returning forward Luca Pinelli to the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67s. He will have huge expectations in junior this season.

Drafted by the team in the fourth round (#114 overall) at the 2023 NHL Draft, Pinelli burst onto the scene for the 67s last season. Acting as captain, he led the team - and finished third in the league - with 48 goals. Playing in all 68 games, he also added 34 assists for 82 points.

Those are impressive numbers for any player in junior, but they are especially good when you consider that Pinelli was a true 18 year old in the league last year. It's rare for an 18 year old to serve as captain; let alone be so productive in a league dominated by 19 and 20 year olds. And, he's just 5'9" and under 170 pounds.

I didn't catch much of him in camp, but the bits and pieces I saw made it clear that he wasn't going to play in the NHL this year. With the transfer agreements in place, he had to return to junior. So, much like Jordan Dumais and Denton Mateychuk last year, the Jackets were forced to send a guy back to his junior team when he's probably too good for that league.

I fully expect Pinelli to be one of the top scoring players in the entire CHL this season. Any growth over last year, combined with good health, will get him there.

He's an exciting player to watch because he attacks in so many different ways. But also because he's surprisingly physical for a small guy. He'll go into the corners or crash the net with intensity. It speaks to the quality of prospects in the CBJ system that Pinelli is "only" the 12th best prospect they have..

For a lot of teams in the league, he's probably a top-5 or 6 guy. On some, maybe even higher than that. As impressive as he is, however, he just wasn't close to NHL ready this year. It's a huge jump to make. I expect him to excel in the OHL this year, then spend at least one or two years in the AHL before making a realistic push.