Thanks to everyone who voted for this year’s Top 25 Under 25 ranking. We had almost 100 submissions from Columbus Blue Jackets fans. Stay tuned as we count down the 25 highest voted players for the next month. Today, Trey Fix-Wolansky.
#19 Trey Fix-Wolansky
Voting
19th out of 40 eligible players
Writer Rank: 19
Reader Rank: 20
Highest placement: 10 (2 votes)
Most common placement: 20 (8 votes)
2021 Rank: 18th
Biography
Birthdate: May 26, 1999
Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 179 lbs
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Acquired: Drafted #204 overall in 2018
2021-22 Season
The 2021 season was a disappointing one for TFW as a knee injury wiped out most of the season. It was especially painful because he was off to a point per game start (4 goals and 5 assists in 9 games). His recovery kept him from competing for a shot at the NHL roster in the fall, but he got his first taste of NHL action during a five game road trip in February.
In his first NHL game, Fix-Wolansky also scored his first NHL goal. He followed that in his second game with an assist. The point per game pace didn’t continue as he was held scoreless in his four subsequent games, but he did not look out of place on either end of the ice.
Unfortunately, Brad Larsen’s obsession with match-ups and too many special teams minutes meant that TFW’s exclusive 5v5 deployment kept him under 10 minutes in each game.
2022-23 Outlook
TFW hit restricted free agency for the first time this summer and signed a one year extension on July 23. It’s a two-way deal that will carry a $750k cap hit in the NHL. He will again be a restricted free agent next summer, and he is no longer waivers exempt.
With an already long list of NHL-caliber forwards on the depth chart, it’s likely that TFW will get cut late in preseason. Given his age, size, late draft position, and so-so AHL production (68 points in 105 games), he would likely clear. If so, it would not surprise me to see him be one of the first call-ups as an injury replacement. He can take the limited minutes on a sheltered fourth line, but also has enough of a scoring touch to play up in the lineup if necessary.