Columbus Blue Jackets top prospects, summer of 2024: players #10-1
By Curtis Deem
9. (7) LW James Malatesta 5’9″, 190 pounds. 5th round (#133 overall), 2021 NHL Draft. Projection: middle six sniper/pest. Stats: 12g-10a-22pts, 56gp for Cleveland (AHL). Will return to the Monsters next season (or, dare we say the Blue Jackets?). How we ranked him: Curtis (8) Matt (9) Mike (7)
Why we ranked him here: Malatesta made the transition from junior hockey to the AHL look pretty seamless this year. After taking home QMJHL playoff and Memorial Cup MVP honors in 2023; he joined the Monsters full-time this year and was a key part of their lineup all season.
Better yet, in a late-season trial with the Blue Jackets, James never looked out of place. In fact, the team opted to keep him on the NHL roster and send more tenured players back to the AHL ahead of him. Had he been with the team all season, he would have be amongst the leaders in hits across the entire league, with the pace he was on. Malatesta is one of my favorite prospects in the system, and I would not be surprised if he stole a 4th line job with the Blue Jackets this season.
With that said, a year of dominating in the AHL certainly wouldn't hurt either. Might raise his upside a little bit.
8. (5) C Luca del bel Belluz 6’0″, 180 pounds. 2nd round (#44 overall), 2022 NHL Draft. Projection: middle six scoring center. Stats: 9g-22a-31pts, 58gp for Cleveland (AHL). Will return to the Monsters next season. How we ranked him: Curtis (9) Matt (8) Mike (6)
Why we ranked him here: Luca is another player who had a pretty solid transition from junior hockey to the AHL. He's a natural center, which is desperately needed in this organization; and he put up pretty solid numbers for a rookie this season. He also added his first NHL goal in his lone game with the Jackets this season.
Though he's still somewhat sleight, he has a projectable frame and a knack for generating offense. He's more of a passer than a shooter, which makes him an obvious fit alongside someone like Malatesta. I don't think he has the kind of skill to be a top-two line center, but if he can develop into a third or fourth line depth scoring option, I think that's good enough. And I do believe he can get there.