Hockey's back, y'all.
A year ago, Zach Werenski and Markus Nutivaara were two big storylines of the NHL Prospects Tournament.
Unfortunately, Werenski suffered a minor injury early in the week and sat out most of the tournament. Nutivaara, on the other hand, assumed much of the ice time in Werenski's absence and launched his (eventually successful) campaign to make the Blue Jackets' opening night roster.
They've both graduated full-time to the NHL. The prospects' last tournament win was in 2015 -- the fourth for Columbus since the club began participating in the annual showcase 16 years ago. Stepping into the spotlight this year are three of the team's top prospects, forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vitaly Abramov and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson, who all have their sights set on an NHL roster spot in a month's time.
The Blue Jackets prospects kick off the 2017 tournament on Friday afternoon against the Dallas Stars at 3:30 p.m.
Bookmark this, too: all games will be streamed live on Fox Sports Go through the Detroit Red Wings. If you launch the app, the home screen should display the Blue Jackets' games if you're within the team's broadcast area.
Want a few things to keep an eye on this weekend? Let's start here.
1. The first test for Pierre-Luc Dubois
Based on their current roster construction and, to this point, the lack of a significant addition down the middle, logic says the Blue Jackets are banking on Dubois grabbing hold of a spot.
They'll make him earn it, though; Dubois was so-so in last year's NHL Prospects Tournament but hung around late into training camp before returning to junior hockey to play center for a full season. The stakes are higher in 2017 for both the Blue Jackets and Dubois; they need to win, they need a center and he's their top prospect. The ideal scenario is one in which he bangs down the door and forces them to keep him around.
He'll get ample opportunity to start bolstering his resume this weekend, and it'll be worth watching to see if he's on another level than his peers.
2. Our first look at goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks
Joonas Korpisalo is full-time at the NHL level, Anton Forsberg is off to Chicago and wait...who the hell is going to tend the net in Cleveland?
The Blue Jackets got creative this offseason and signed standout USHL goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, an athletic young Latvian who was pursued by several NHL teams after garnering USHL goaltender and player of the year honors. Smart money says he's the leading candidate to start 2017-18 as Cleveland's No. 1 goaltender, meaning Monsters coach John Madden (who will coach the Blue Jackets prospects in Traverse City) will want to get a close-up look at his new goalie. Recent AHL signee Ivan Kulbakov is the No. 2 goaltender for Columbus this weekend.
3. A Vitaly important weekend for Abramov
Mr. Abramov, a favorite of 1OB founder and publisher Jason Priestas (shout out to the boss man), has not been shy in declaring his intention for the upcoming season. He wants to make the Blue Jackets and is convinced that he will. After an MVP season with Gatineau (QMJHL), he finished last season with the Monsters and spent some time with Madden, but is not yet eligible to play in the AHL on a full-time basis. It's either Columbus, Gatineau or -- as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic mentioned last month -- a potential offer to play in Europe. Abramov's preference is to make the NHL and put the other possibilities to bed, and you can bet he'll see plenty of ice time on a top line with his fellow Blue Jackets prospects in Traverse City.
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