With a good number of games having been played around the world in the 2023-24 hockey season, it’s time to take a look at how the prospects of the Blue Jackets are fairing. There’s a lot of good news and improvement, keeping the future bright for the organization.
Jordan Dumais (RW) – Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
2022 3rd round pick
13-24-37 16GP
2022-23 PPG: 2.19
2023-24 PPG: 2.31
If we are being honest with ourselves, Dumais has to be a little bored with the Q at this point. However, he continues to improve his points per game year after year. It will be a crime to humanity if he doesn’t make Team Canada for the World Juniors this year. Same for Mateychuk. The two should be teammates in Sweden next month.
Sergei Ivanov (G) – Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)
2022 5th round pick
.937 SV% 2.15 GAA 18GP
The Blue Jackets front office has to get excited whenever Ivanov’s name is mentioned. There are questions about his height as a future NHL goalie, but his numbers in the KHL don’t lie. At 19, he’s already an elite goaltender in one of the top leagues in the world.
Denton Mateychuk (D) – Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
2022 1st round pick
6-20-26 18GP
2022-23 PPG: 1.03
2023-24 PPG: 1.44
Mateychuk has points in every single game he’s played in so far this season, including seven multi-point games. It seems as if something clicked for him in NHL camp. He nearly made the Blue Jackets roster but was ultimately sent back to the WHL. He’s a man on a mission now.
Luca Pinelli (C) – Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
2023 4th round pick
18-7-25 22GP
2022-23 PPG: 0.94
2023-24 PPG: 1.14
Pinelli is having a breakout year with the 67’s. Last season, he scored goals at a rate of 0.43 per game. This season, that has risen to 0.82. He’s been feasting on the power play so far.
Gavin Brindley (RW) – University of Michigan (NCAA)
2023 2nd round pick
10-7-17 16GP
2022-23 PPG: 0.93
2023-24 PPG: 1.06
It’s great to see Brindley get off to a hot start this season. He’s currently tied for fourth in goals in the NCAA and leads the Wolverines in that category. He only needs two goals to match his total from last season.
He should get the nod to play for the Team USA in Sweden at World Juniors.
Andrew Strathmann (D) – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
2023 4th round pick
4-12-16 15GP
2022-23 PPG: 0.68
2023-24 PPG: 1.07
Just today, it was announced that Strathmann is the USHL defenseman of the week. If he can keep up his current pace, he’ll have significantly improved his numbers from last season. In today’s NHL, you can’t have too many puck-moving defensive prospects.
Strathmann is currently committed to playing for the University of North Dakota starting next season.
William Whitelaw (C) – University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
2023 3rd round pick
4-4-8 14GP
2022-23 PPG: 0.98 (USHL)
2023-24 PPG: 0.57
Whitelaw is currently a freshman at the University of Wisconsin and has put up respectable numbers in his first 14 games in the NCAA. It will be interesting to watch his development in college, especially under newly appointed coach Mike Hastings, who had a lot of success at Minnesota State.
Oiva Keskinen (C) – Tappara (Liiga)
2023 7th round pick
2-11-13 24GP
2022-23 PPG: 1.08 (U20)
2023-24 PPG: 0.54
Liiga is considered to be the third-best hockey league in Europe, behind the KHL and SHL. With that in mind, it’s no small feat for a 19-year-old rookie to have 13 points in his first 24 games. Keskinen is likely several years away from seeing North American action, but he’s definitely a guy to keep an eye on.