It's hard to think about hockey.
But outside of his friends and family, hockey was life for Johnny Gaudreau. It is the beautiful game that connected him with us; it was the vessel that gave the world the opportunity to see how remarkable of a human being he was.
And so, with the Gaudreau family in our hearts, let's talk about the upcoming prospects tournament:
The Columbus Blue Jackets are en route to Buffalo, New York to take part in the Prospects Challenge. It will be the first time that the Blue Jackets, who had played in the Traverse City (Mi.) Prospects Tournament since the infancy of the franchise, will take part in the challenge.
Other teams participating in the challenge include divisional rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils, as well as the Atlantic Division's , Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators.
We're heading to Buffalo this week to take part in the Prospects Challenge!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 11, 2024
Our tournament roster is set, and you can catch all the action on https://t.co/UTWCVgdR4M.
Full schedule and details: https://t.co/0yVhTG3D3e pic.twitter.com/nUc4umDqH7
The Traverse City Tournament is down to just two teams this year: the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars. Those two teams will face off twice.
Columbus' first practice is set for Thursday, with the first game slated for Friday afternoon against the Sabres. Game two will come Saturday against the Bruins, and the third game is scheduled for Monday afternoon against the Senators.
One player to keep an eye on is defenseman Denton Mateychuk. He excelled in the tournament in 2023, so much so that the Blue Jackets took a hard look at keeping him in Columbus at the conclusion of the preseason. Instead, they opted to the now-20-year-old to back to the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, where he had been since the 2019-20 season.
Mateychuk tore up the WHL in 2023-24, scoring 17 goals and adding 58 assists for a 75-point effort in just 52 games. With 11 goals and 19 assists in the Warriors' 20-game playoff run, the Manitoba native was named the 2024 WHL Playoffs Most Valuable Player. He did also play in four games with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters during their playoff run following the conclusion of Moose Jaw's season.
If Matecyhuk dazzles again, it might be hard for the Blue Jackets to leave him outside of Nationwide Arena for much longer. The expectation is that he will start the season in Cleveland, but for how long may be a question that we start to answer in the coming days.
On the other side of the puck, there are a few players to keep a keen eye on: Gavin Brindley, James Malatesta, and Luca Del Bel Belluz. All three got a taste of the NHL in 2023-24, with Malatesta playing 11 games and Brindley and Del Bel Belluz making their debuts in the season finale. If any forwards will make the team who are playing in the tournament, it'll be from this trio.
Brindley was the second pick of the second round in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a teammate of Adam Fantilli at Michigan. In 40 games as a Wolverine, Brindley had 25 goals and 28 assists for an average of 1.32 points per game. Malatesta, taken in 2021 and part of the same draft class as Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger, has a little more experience than the rest of his teammates in the big leagues: the 21-year-old played in 11 games with the Blue Jackets last season, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists.
Del Bel Belluz, who scored on his first shot in the NHL, will likely log heavy minutes in the challenge. The second-round pick from 2022 played in 58 games with the Monsters, scoring nine goals and adding 22 assists.
One player who won't suit up is fourth overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, who is being held out of the tournament as a precaution given his injury history.
Trent Vogelhuber, head coach of the Monsters, will coach the Blue Jackets for the entirety of the tournament.
Games will take place at The Rinks at LECOM Harborcenter, a practice facility for the Sabres.
