Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-24 player review: Trey Fix-Wolansky

This season seemed like a pivotal year in the career of Blue Jacket prospect Trey Fix-Wolansky. The team's 7th round pick (#204 overall) at the 2018 Draft, he's one of the oldest prospects still in the system.

He needed to find a way to make an impact in the NHL this year, and while he had some good moments, I just don't think he did that. At this point, I think he's destined to be a really good AHL player.

That's not to say that he can't turn a corner and become an NHLer. We've seen that happen before, plenty of times - but, his path is far from linear at this point.

Fix-Wolansky has all of the tools you'd want in a scoring prospect. He can shoot, pass, and he goes hard to the tough areas of the ice; where he plays a surprisingly physical game.

The issue is, he's only 5'7" - and there aren't many guys who have played in the NHL at that height. The ones who have had long and successful NHL careers, have done so because they find a way to stand out.

Unfortunately, Fix-Wolansky has not stood out. In fact, in his few brief NHL stints, I've found myself having to look for him on the ice. That's not a good sign for a guy who is expected to bring skill, energy, and a bit of snarl.

While he has size working against him, I thought he could be a solid depth player for this team in a "pest" sort of role, while adding some secondary scoring.

Scoring in the AHL hasn't been an issue - in 224 career games, Trey has 86 goals and 199 points - but he hasn't had much success in the NHL, scoring just 4 goals and 6 points in 26 games spread across three seasons.

Worse, we saw another prospect come in and provide exactly what we've been hoping to see out of Trey in his recalls. James Malatesta has seemingly passed Fix-Wolansky up on the NHL depth chart in just his first year pro.

That's going to make it really tough for Fix-Wolansky to find an impact with the Jackets at any point in the future. He'll be 25 later this month, and now he seems like a guy who is too good for the AHL - but not good enough for the NHL. A classic "4A" player.

He gets a passing grade because he was really good for the Monsters this year. But, he really needed to stand out to make a case for himself as an NHLer. He did not do that. He has one more year left on his contract with the Jackets.