Jackets Development Camp Primer

Every summer shortly after the draft the Jackets hold Development Camp at the Ice Haus, which is an event where Columbus prospects are evaluated and put through the paces. The roster is made up of newly-drafted prospects, sprinkled among more “veteran” prospects and a handful of players on the cusp of making the big roster.

This year the tournament runs from July 9th to July 12th, with the on-ice portions open free to the public. The camp follows the following schedule:

There are 31 players participating in the camp, including all eight of this year’s draft choices. There are two invites so far to the event- Jeremy Langlois, who recently completed his college career at Quinnipiac and was signed to an AHL deal by the Falcons, and Trent Vogelhuber, a former CBJ draft pick now under contract with Springfield.

You can see the range of prospects, from the brand new guys to older prospects like Sean Collins, who got into some NHL games last season. Guys like Collins are looked at as leaders at this event. The more senior players up front are Collins, Hansen, Chaput, Smith and Langlois. The former four were all pros last year, playing for the Falcons in the AHL. Langlois is intriguing- he put up excellent numbers in college:

…and is looking for an entry level deal with a strong showing here in devo camp. Seth Ambroz is looking to make a name for himself after a couple of ho-hum years with the Gophers. In his draft year he was touted as a first-round power forward, but slipped to the middle rounds. He needs to show more and this is a good opportunity.

Tynan took a bit of a step back this year with the Irish, and is looking to gain what he lost this past season. He’s small, but very talented. He’s definitely a player to keep an eye on. Josh Anderson….what can you say? He’s an average player on a fantastic junior team. I still don’t know what to make of this kid. I seen enough Knights games in the past two years to form an opinion- what is he good at? Maybe a strong showing at Devo can answer my question.

All of the new guys will be there too. Wennberg, Rychel and Dano- the first rounders. Watch these kids closely, though I doubt you’ll have a hard time finding them on the ice. Bjorkstrand may turn out to be a steal and has serious skills, while Moutrey, Soberg and Quenneville will be looking to impress. Mancrush on Soberg has already been activated.

Perhaps the most exciting prospects for me are Jenner, Sedlak and Zaar. Boone is still one of our stud forward prospects (don’t forget, when he has the puck or scores, you have to yell BOOOOOOONNNNNEEEE in a bass-y tone), while Sedlak is looking to make the jump to the pros after a couple of years with Chicoutimi. I enjoyed watching him when he came to Halifax this past season. Zaar is so intriguiing. Word is, he’s got speed to burn and a hell of a shot. Can’t wait to see if it’s true.

The defense is a mixture of new and old, with Weber being the greybeard of the bunch. Larkin and Madaisky are looking to make a mark, as both are at risk of falling out of the picture. Curcuruto, from last year’s draft class, has a boatload of talent, but has yet to bring it all together. Reilly is a player to keep an eye on- from a pure-talent perspective, he’s one of the best in the pipeline. Heatherington and Melart are the new guys- H-Ton was drafted this past weekend in the second round, while Melart was a Euro signing from the Finnish league, a Jarmo special. Melart may see time with the Jackets this year, so keep close tabs on him if you’re there. The star of the group however, is number two overall draft pick from last year Ryan Murray, who may be a fixture on the Columbus blueline next year.

The goaltenders are Euro-heavy, with a pair of Swedes and a Finn among the four invites. Forsberg and Dansk are high-end prospects, while the jury is out on Korpisalo. He was a third round pick last year and put up ok numbers in Finland, but his willingness to play in North America remains to be seen. Ouellette rounds out the group, he has failed to nail down the starters role with the Black Bears since joining them. This may be his last kick at the can.

I hope this post gives you a bit of insight prior to camp starting. If you can, please attend! It’s free, you get to see the shiny new prospects, and some of the other guys waiting in the wings for spots with the big club. I of course can’t be there, so I’ll live vicariously through all of you!