When it comes to building an organization, it's never a bad idea to have winners around.
Columbus fans saw that this past season when a number of players who won the Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters a season ago moved seamlessly into the Blue Jackets lineup for during a 50-win season.
It's not quite the same level, but two Blue Jackets prospects are learning the art of winning as their junior seasons are coming to a close.
Most fans are aware of the run by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and first-round Blue Jackets pick Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Armada just finished a series win against Charlottetown in the QMJHL semifinals, earning the team a chance for a President's Cup title against Saint John. The best-of-seven series will begin Friday at Saint John.
A midseason acquisition by the Armada from Cape Breton, Dubois has been one of the top players in the Q playoffs. In 15 games, Dubois has posted a 8-13-21 line to place third in the league, and he has six multipoint games in his last nine contests.
Meanwhile, out in the Western Hockey League, the Seattle Thunderbirds and winger Keegan Kolesar will be going for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in a series vs. Regina. The Thunderbirds and Pats also begin their series Friday with game 1 in Regina.
Kolesar, a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, has had a solid postseason as well. The massive (6-2, 223) 20-year-old nicknamed "Killer" has followed a 26-goal, 60-point season with nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 14 postseason games, good for sixth in the league's postseason.
The Thunderbirds got to the final series with a 4-2 semifinal win over Kelowna, which featured Blue Jackets prospect Calvin Thürkauf. In Game 3, the CBJ prospects scored all three goals, including Kolesar's game winner for Seattle in the final minute.
Another late one for the @SeattleTbirds! Keegan Kolesars 2nd of the night makes it 2-1 with 20 seconds left! #SEAvsKEL #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/AmwFKWfNRK
— #WHLPlayoffs (@TheWHL) April 26, 2017
A native of Switzerland, Thürkauf was taken in the seventh round last year, and the winger had a solid year for Kelowna with a 33-37-70 line in 60 regular-season games as well as an 8-13-21 mark in 17 postseason games.
All three players have signed entry-level contracts with Columbus.
In the OHL, the Erie Otters – the former team of Connor McDavid as well as CBJ prospect Oscar Dansk – will take on the Mississauga Steelheads. The winners of all three series will advance to Canada's grandest stage, the Memorial Cup, which will be hosted by Windsor starting May 19.
