The overall outlook for the entire Columbus Blue Jackets organization looks vastly different now, than it did one year ago. The NHL team is jockeying for a playoff spot. The prospect pool is very strong. The AHL team is fresh off of a deep playoff run, and in spite of a lot of roster turnover; the Cleveland Monsters are right there again. Which makes one thing obvious: Whatever this rebuild turns into for the Columbus Blue Jackets, they cannot allow Trent Vogelhuber to wind up elsewhere.
Throughout their history, the Blue Jackets have been a team with mostly high draft picks, a lot of whom never panned out. And, the ones that did pan out, often panned out elsewhere. Whether it's a star forward like Jakub Voracek, or a rugged defenseman like Adam McQuaid, it doesn't really seem to matter where this team drafted or who they picked. Guys just haven't developed into success here very often.
One might say that this team has operated more like a minor league team in that regard. They spend the time being terrible to land these high picks. They draft them, put forth resources to develop (or not develop) them, and they move on.
This exact scenario happened with an up and coming coach that was in the organization a decade ago. Jared Bednar was the head coach of the Cleveland (then Lake Erie) Monsters, behind the bench for their Calder Cup Championship in 2016. He was subsequently hired by the Colorado Avalanche later that year, and well, the rest is history.
Putting this into simple words: this organization cannot allow that scenario to play out again. The situations are strikingly similar, but this time, it has to play out differently. Vogelhuber was a Blue Jackets draft pick in 2007. He's a Dublin, Ohio native - and this franchise should not let him walk to another organization.
Same story...
Looking back to 2016 and comparing it to 2024 is actually a little bit eerie. At that time, the Jackets had a loaded prospect pool on the back of some down seasons. As such, the AHL roster was pretty loaded with young talent, buffered by crafty veteran pros. Sounds like the Monsters team over the last couple of years, right?
The situation in the NHL is also similar. This roster has underachieved for the last couple of seasons. Riddled by injuries and inconsistencies, the Jackets just have not been good enough. So, they hired a tougher head coach (Dean Evason) to hold players more accountable and organize things. Sounds like the Blue Jackets team that hired John Tortorella in 2016, right?
New outcome, please...
Like Bednar in 2015, Vogelhuber is doing terrific work with the Monsters this season. They're currently sitting 4th overall in the AHL, well on pace to make the playoffs in spite of some injury troubles themselves. Clearly, he's making a difference down there.
Since hiring him as head coach, the Monsters are 93-66-19. This record comes in the middle of the turmoil that has seen the NHL club go 68-108-27 over the same stretch. He's got that team running on all cylinders at a time when the only consistency has been near daily call-ups and demotions from the team above.
Last year's AHL playoff run was magical, as well. You can check out some of his coaching in the latest version of Behind the Battle. Warning: watching the way he interacts with his team may cause you to run through brick walls.
Trent Vogelhuber is one of the best up and coming coaches in the game. At 36 years old, he has a very bright future ahead of him. That future should be behind the Columbus bench at some point down the road.