Blue Jackets announce Traverse City roster
August 31, 2017, 5:41 PM ET [13 Comments]
Paul Berthelot
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
The Blue Jackets have announced the roster they will be sending to Traverse City in the annual prospect tournament.
At first glance this roster is what you would expect. Pierre-Luc Dubois is here, as is Vitali Abramov. The recent signees are here in Sam Vigneault, Bobby MacIntyre, and Doyle Somerby. As you look deeper at the roster however two things jump out. First and Aaron Portzline mentioned this on Twitter, no player from the Jackets 2017 draft is here.
This is because the Jackets drafted four players who are playing in Europe and three headed to the NCAA. European leagues are starting to get underway and the NCAA does not allow its players to partake in NHL events like this. This is why Andrew Peeke is also not on the roster.
The other notable thing from the roster is that all nine free agent invites are from the OHL. Who knows if any will end up getting signed, but this is something I discussed when I wrote about the Jackets unconventional draft strategy. You can sign CHL players as undrafted free agents but not those who played in Europe. If a player stands out in the tournament the Jackets could easily sign him to a contract, and we know the Jackets like undrafted OHL players. They signed Justin Scott and Jordan Maletta, both of whom are on the roster out of the OHL, as well as Dante Saliutro who they traded this off-season, not to mention MacIntyre who they just inked to an AHL deal.
So who from this roster might earn an NHL contract? One player that might have a shot is Luke Kirwin. He played for Flint with Kole Sherwood so he is a player the Jackets would be very familiar with. Kirwin was someone who had some hype in his 16 year old season and was someone who was expected to be drafted in the 2016 draft. He stands 6’2 and had some people thinking he could be a big-time power forward. Kirwin struggled his draft season with just four points in 31 games for the Windsor Spitfires and was traded to the Flint Firebirds. With Flint his play was better with 12 points in 32 games, but it still wasn’t enough to get him selected.
Early in the 2016-17 season Kirwin looked like he had figured it out and put everything together. He put up 18 points in his first 17 games, including a four goal, five point effort against Ottawa. In his 18th game he suffered a concussion which derailed his season. He missed two months with the injury and when he returned he wasn’t the same player. He had just four points in 14 games to end the season. If he’s healthy and shows he’s back to his early season form this tournament he could very well earn himself a contract.
The other two that standout are Stephen Desrocher and Medric Mercier. Both were overaged defencemen, Desrocher playing for Kingston and Mercier for Oshawa. They are you prototypical Blue Jackets defencemen, both are big standing 6’4 and 6’3 respectively, and both can skate. The difference with these two and why they standout is they are both good with the puck. They finished 11th and 12th among OHL defencemen scoring with Mercier edging out Desrocher 52-51 (though Desrocher had the slight edge in points per game due him only playing 65 games verses Mercier’s 67). They both like to jump up into the rush and get the puck on net. Desrocher fired 230 pucks at the net and Mercier 186. This helped them score a lot of goals, with Mercier actually leading all OHL d-men with 22.
Adding either player (or both) would be a solid addition to the system. The Jackets system needs defencemen who can move the puck. They have so many defensive defencmen but very few that profile as puck-movers. We’ve seen the impact having a puck mover can have at the NHL level, where would the Jackets have been without Zach Werenski, and we need to start seeing that more at the AHL level. Neither player is going to be Werenski, but they play that same style which is badly needed in Cleveland.
» Minister of Electricity: Iranian gas dues will be paid at the end of this month
» An Iraqi speech to the Security Council - Hana Adwar
» Federal: The caretaker government is achieving the withdrawal of confidence from the Prime Minister
» Kurdistan Region establishes 3 advanced industrial cities with international assistance
» The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government participates in the Davos World Economic Forum
» I am confident of its success.. The coordination framework: the political blockage will be resolved
» 7 Chaired Parliamentary Committees.. Women's Disputes Obstacles to Choosing the Chairperson of "Wome
» Gold prices are rising in the Iraqi markets
» It was recently inaugurated by the government.. (700) million dinars donated by citizens at the shri
» Next Wednesday .. Who will prevail in the food security law, for the devotees or for those who refus
» Iraq achieves $ 20 billion in surplus oil sales and avoids borrowing
» Parliamentary committee reveals the reason for the deterioration of electric power: Iran is conducti
» Good Deed distributes the food basket in Baghdad to orphans and the needy on the anniversary of the
» Alia Nassif: Parliament can instruct the Ministry of Finance to take alternative mechanisms to the F
» Al-Maliki: The judiciary is the last pillar of the stability of the political process, and its decis
» Close to him: Al-Amri is in good health, and there is no health to take him to the hospital
» His office: Al-Kazemi will participate in receiving the body of the Iraqi poet Muzaffar Al-Nawab
» Al-Halbousi participates in an “extraordinary emergency” conference in Cairo
» In an effort to resolve the crisis, a negotiating team presents the initiative of the independents t
» The Minister of Finance excludes resorting to borrowing and reveals the size of the surplus from sel
» The World Bank announces its readiness to support Iraq by expanding the use of clean energy
» With 967 thousand barrels per day.. Iraq is the third largest oil exporter to China in the month of
» The stability of the dollar exchange rates on the Iraqi local stock exchange
» Parliamentary Energy explains the reasons for the deterioration of the electricity supply to citizen
» Independent representatives form a negotiating team to present their initiative
» Oil prices rise, Brent approaches $113 a barrel
» Dollar exchange rates in local markets
» An upcoming meeting with the Sadrists.. The independents form a committee to present their initiativ
» The political winds in Kurdistan are moving.. Setting a date for the visit of a delegation from the
» A segment of retirees and employees addresses Parliamentary Finance about the predecessor of Al-Rafi
» Service Council Chairman: We are ready to launch any electronic form as soon as job grades are avail
» MilitiaMan " The World is Watching" Thursday Night 5-19-2022
» KTFA Members "News and Views" Thursday Afternoon 5-19-2022
» Documents: The legal cordon "tightens" the Ministry of Oil regarding the region's oil, and the Feder
» Dozens of parliamentarians sign to settle defense mobilization salaries
» The supply of electric power in an Iraqi governorate has fallen to a third
» Reservations and controversy in Parliament’s reading of “Food Security”
» The Prime Minister directs to change {Green} and return its original names
» Iraq asks America to answer 14 files of convicts residing on its soil
» Opening it may topple big heads.. Parliamentary Integrity: “Corruption files” are closed with a “pol
» Washington imposes sanctions on Hezbollah financial companies in Iraq
» Transportation announces the reception of three commercial ships in the northern port of Umm Qasr
» Iraq and Jordan sign a memorandum of understanding on the exploitation of natural resources
» The Central Bank and Kurdistan Integrity sign a cooperation agreement to reduce money laundering
» The Supreme Judicial Council calls on political forces not to include him in their disputes
» Ministry of Commerce: There will be no famine in Iraq
» Dollar exchange rates in local markets
» Alsumaria publishes a picture of the bank account of the Minister of Transport
» State of Law: UNAMI is out of context
» Count him as an escape.. A legal expert comments on the dismissed governor of Salah al-Din sending h
» In the document .. Initiating a criminal case against the Minister of Oil for his failure to impleme
» Irada movement calls for respect for what is issued by the judiciary and directs a request to the po
» Can the proposed food security law be challenged? Legal expert explains
» Political blockage.. Is external mediation the solution?
» Document .. Federal Oil announces that it will "take over" the management of the export of crude fro
» KTFA Members "News and Views" Wednesday PM 5-18-2022
» Noon Agency publishes the text of the proposed food security bill in Parliament
» Al-Maliki..we are surprised by the insistence on legislating the food security law and standing agai
» Ur State Company signs a contract worth more than 13 billion dinars to supply electricity to the cen
» "Rights" calls on the Al-Kazemi government to resort to the advances and cover the expenses
» Iraq asks America to answer 14 files of convicts residing on its soil
» The Iraqi parliament completes a report and discussion of a proposed law banning normalization with
» A jump in the proportion of foreign remittances from the dollar in the auction of the Central Bank o
» Center calls on Baghdad and Erbil to implement UN recommendations and warnings about the seriousness
» Kurdish politician: Killings increased in Kurdistan for this reason
» The Parliamentary Rights Movement calls on the Al-Kazemi government to resort to the advances and co
» Independents are the most affected"... The war of words between the coordination framework and the t
» The resignation of five deputies from the extension movement
» $30 billion to support food security in countries affected by the Ukraine crisis.. Iraq is commentin
» Iraq signs a contract with a Chinese company to drill 22 oil wells
» The Central Bank of Iraq increases its capital to 5 trillion dinars
» Including light Basra .. The OPEC basket is declining by more than two dollars
» Because of the lack of support, Salah El-Din is likely to reduce wheat production by 40%
» The Triple Alliance: An exceptional opportunity to reduce Iran's influence in Iraq
» The President of the Supreme Judicial Council receives the Governor of Dhi Qar Muhammad Al-Ghazi
» The Federal Supreme Court responds to the President's inquiry
» Al-Maliki..we are surprised by the insistence on legislating the food security law and standing agai
» In the video, "George Bush" slip of the tongue exposes the reality of the occupation of Iraq in 2003
» Acute threat!: The US Air Force will participate in the major Israeli maneuver to destroy the Irania
» The Democratic Current files a lawsuit against the Speaker of the House of Representatives
» 99% of them have not received compensation.. the destruction prevents two-thirds of the people of Si
» Blackshart before the Security Council: The Iraqis are waiting for the power battles to end
» Economic offices account for 15% of provincial budgets
» There was no breakthrough in the crisis a month ago...and "dissolving Parliament" is an option after
» In the document.. Al-Maamouri sends a request to the Speaker of Parliament regarding 315 contracts
» In the document.. the second deputy speaker of parliament reveals his financial disclosure
» Governmental Adviser: The judiciary's decision on the food security law will affect the white paper
» Iraq announces transferring the brunt of mass graves crimes to the international community
» Nazim: The government's cooperation with Parliament may lead us to a law that overcomes challenges
» The Speaker of Parliament assigns a former Turkmen minister the duties of Provincial Affairs Adviser
» Parliamentary Finance: Tables of food security amounts will not exceed 25 trillion dinars
» A representative for the Democrat: Representatives in the framework signed the sending of the Food S
» Finance begins launching employee salaries
» Independent Deputy: We have not received any response to our initiative
» A representative of the state of law comments on the new food security law
» Deputy: The capital, Baghdad, is facing a serious environmental problem
» The House of Representatives holds its session headed by Al-Halbousi
» The House of Representatives begins the first reading of the proposed law on emergency support for f