McKown will be in the Hunt(er) for a roster spot
Thanks to the 79 readers who submitted ballots in this year’s ranking of Columbus Blue Jackets players under the age of 25. Stay tuned over the next six weeks as we count down the top 25.
#22 Hunter McKown
Voting
22nd out of 45 eligible players
Writer Rank: 22nd
Reader Rank: 23rd
Highest Placement: 1st (1 vote) (what!?)
Most Common Placements: 19th, 20th, 23rd (7 votes each)
2022 Rank: N/A
Biography
Birthdate: August 18th, 2002
Birthplace: San Jose, California, United States
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 205 lbs.
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Acquired: Signed as a college free agent out of Colorado College on March 20, 2023
2022-23 Season
In the spring of 2022, Jarmo took a swing on a college free agent, signing Nick Blankenburg out of Michigan. I was at his first game, and immediately fell in love with how he plays. His tenacity on, off, and especially retrieving the puck is the type of thing coaches fawn over, and he’s won the hearts of many CBJ fans.
In the spring of 2023, Jarmo took a swing on a college free agent, signing Hunter McKown out of Colorado College. He’s played 12 more NHL games than anyone reading this.
Okay, that’s probably a bit harsh, but to be frank, Hunter McKown was mainly signed to be a serviceable fill in for the avalanche of injuries the Blue Jackets faced last season. He was that. Even our own player review basically came down to “this guy played games and was unremarkably average doing so.” His main draw in his draft profiles was his defensive zone play, and that’s the area of the game that takes the longest to develop and is the hardest to notice.
2023-24 Outlook
McKown is still very young, turning 21 in two weeks, and could blossom into a solid bottom 6 center, but he likely won’t play this year. Boone Jenner, Jack Roslovic, Sean Kuraly, and Justin Danforth are all above him on the depth chart, not to mention hybrid forwards like Patrik Laine, Alexandre Texier, and Liam Foudy, plus prospects like Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson, Luca Del Bel Belluz, and some guy named Adam Fantilli. So, unless we get wrecked with injuries again, he’ll likely spend the year in Cleveland. *Furiously knocks on all of the wood.*
Highlights
I mean, the guy had two assists last year, and the first one was kinda overshadowed by Johnson pulling off a Michigan.