Kent Johnson showed he can play center, Kirill Marchenko’s skill emerged, Jiricek and Mateychuk impressed and Jet Greaves earned more respect.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Another prospect tournament is in the books.
The Blue Jackets returned from northern Michigan with a 2-1-0 record after stunning the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime Sunday and have shifted their focus to the start of training camp Wednesday with medical evaluations. Before that arrives, it’s time to review their performance at Traverse City’s Centre Ice Arena.
Here are five things we learned from the Blue Jackets’ games:
Kent Johnson earns further look at center for the Blue Jackets
Prior to the Jackets’ development camp, Kent Johnson hadn’t played center since 2019-20 in his final season for the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League. That’s a long time to go without regularly taking faceoffs and playing low in the defensive zone.
Johnson’s lack of heft, standing 6 foot 1, 175 pounds after gaining eight pounds this summer, is also a challenge. Despite the drawbacks, the Blue Jackets gave Johnson a chance to center their top line in the tournament, and he responded well.
Johnson was one of the best players in the tournament and led his team with six points on two goals and four assists. There were also some ugly turnovers tied to risky maneuvers at the opposing blue line, but Johnson looked like an NHL player in all three games.
“Just getting reps at center was probably the biggest thing I took away from it,” Johnson said. “I felt more comfortable in there, so I liked it.”
Given the Blue Jackets’ depth down the middle, Johnson probably won’t move off left wing right away. He’s more likely to start out as a playmaking winger, but could play center if needed. Future seasons could also feature Johnson prominently in the middle once he gains more size, strength and NHL experience.
“He plays like a center even if he plays off the wing,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He wants the puck, demands the puck and wants to make plays. He’s the play-driver on the line, even if he’s on the wing, but the biggest test of the NHL is (playing) both ends of the ice. We’ll have to see how he looks at center and considering that he hasn’t played it for a while, he did well.”
Blue Jackets rookie Kirill Marchenko is a quick learner
Kirill Marchenko, 22, got his first taste of the physical, fast-paced style that’s played on NHL rinks in North America. Like a lot of European players, it didn’t go very well starting out.
Marchenko wasn’t noticeable through his first two periods in the Jackets’ 7-1 rout of the St. Louis Blues to open the tournament Thursday, but that changed in the third. Adjusting to the end-to-end, physical style that’s commonplace in this event, Marchenko steadily increased his presence on the top forward line.
He scored one goal in all three games, finished with a 3-2-5 scoring line and netted the OT winner Sunday to give Columbus a victory over Toronto. Marchenko didn’t show a desire to initiate or absorb contact, but he’s got the size to battle for pucks and his skill in the offensive zone is eye-catching.
Look for Marchenko, a second-round pick in 2018, to compete for a regular role at either left or right wing.
“This is a hard tournament,” Kekalainen said. “I think he competed really good. He’s strong on his stick and there’s a lot of things that you can see he’s played a lot on the men’s pro level (Kontinental Hockey League) before. So, the next big test comes this week.”
Denton Mateychuk, David Jiricek give Blue Jackets future glimpse
Everything defensemen David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk did in tournament action should be viewed through an age filter. Both are 18 and Mateychuk just turned that age July 12, making him one of the youngest players in the entire 2022 NHL draft class.
That’s important to note because of the development curve generally assigned to defensemen. It usually takes defensemen longer to mature into NHL players because they’re tasked with more responsibilities that often require increases in size and strength (see: Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean).
Mateychuk is already close to where he’ll be physically when he makes his NHL debut, at a stout 5-11, 194, but another season in the Western Hockey League is probably in order. Jiricek needs more exposure to physical play on smaller rinks and could stand to add muscle in the weight room, standing a svelte 6-3, 190.
Both had moments where they shined in Traverse City and others when they didn’t. Jiricek showed steady improvement after a tough start. Overall, the Blue Jackets’ brass liked what they saw from each.
“I thought they were really good,” Kekalainen said. “The first game, I thought Mateychuk was outstanding and Jiricek kept getting more comfortable. They’re both going to be good defensemen. I’m 100 percent sure of that.”
Blue Jackets rookie David Jiricek unsure where he will play
One thing the Blue Jackets must determine is where they want Jiricek to develop.
The Czech defenseman is more flexible than players drafted out of the Canadian Hockey League’s three circuits. He’s eligible to play in the NHL, American Hockey League or a European league this upcoming season. Jiricek, who played professionally last year in Czechia, is also eligible to head to Spokane in the WHL, but that seems the least likely destination.
Should Jiricek become a member of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters or the Blue Jackets, he will be joined by his mother and girlfriend to help facilitate the transition to North America.
“I don’t want to be here alone all year,” said Jiricek, who played for HC Plzen in Czechia last season. “I had a flat in Plzen that was 50 kilometers (31 miles) from my hometown. This feels like 10,000 kilometers. So, I need to learn how to cook and buy some things.”
Jet Greaves continues to impress Blue Jackets
A year ago, Jet Greaves came to Traverse City with an AHL-only deal to play for the Monsters.
After impressing in that stint, he did the same thing at training camp in Columbus. Greaves, 21, has since earned an NHL entry-level contract from the Blue Jackets and is poised to start this season as Cleveland’s primary backup to Daniil Tarasov.
Greaves played well again in Traverse City and continues to earn trust.
“He’s a character kid who works every day to become a better goalie,” Kekalainen said. “He keeps earning respect every time he steps on the ice and that’s because of the way he works every day. Our goalie coaches really like him. They like his character, they like his work ethic and his skill set. There’s a good future for him.”