The Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the Traverse City Prospects Tournament on September 15th marking their second consecutive championship.
This tournament features the top prospects for eight different NHL teams. The Blue Jackets finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, defeating the top prospects from St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and finally the Detroit Red Wings to take home the title.
Led by a top line of Kerby Rychel, TJ Tynan, and Oliver Bjorkstand that put together two goals and six points in the championship game alone, the Blue Jackets were a formidable offensive force throughout the tournament. The Blue Jackets have a promising future up front. In the four games of the tournament, the Blue Jackets scored 18 goals, averaging 4.5 goals per game. Kerby Rychel in particular was a bright spot for the team contribute as a leader, play maker, goal scorer and playing a physical game. He clearly displayed why he was taken as the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The Blue Jackets were lucky to avoid serious injury to one of their top prospects. Sonny Milano, drafted 16th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft ran into some trouble when he broke his left orbital bone and cheekbone. Fortunately, he will be out for just 2 weeks and should be an exciting player to watch in training camp.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have a promising young group. Stay tuned for the prospect report and get a closer look into the teams top prospects.
Eric Kiely
Latest posts by Eric Kiely (see all)
- Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Seth Jones As First Major Move In 2016 - January 7, 2016
- Hartnell Down but Not For Long - December 6, 2015
- Have the Columbus Blue Jackets turned the corner? - November 17, 2015
