By Melville Van Buren
SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
Players will undergo physicals and practice on Wednesday, September 13 before departing for Traverse City
COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets will begin preparations for the 2023-24 National Hockey League season at the Annual NHL Prospect Tournament to be held from September 13-17 at the Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, Michigan. The 25 players participating in the tournament will undergo physicals prior to taking part in an on-ice practice session at the OhioHealth Ice Haus, the club’s official practice facility at Nationwide Arena, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13.
The on-ice session held at the Ice Haus is free and open to the public. Media availability with the players will be held following the practice.
This year will mark Columbus’ 21st appearance at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City. The Blue Jackets have won the tournament title on five occasions, capturing the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup in 2005, 2006, 2014, 2015 and 2018. This year’s participating clubs will include the Blue Jackets along with the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. Practice sessions and tournament games will be held on the facility’s two sheets of ice – David’s Rink and Molon Rink – located at 1600 Chartwell Drive, Traverse City, Michigan, 49686 (Phone – 231/933-7465).
The Blue Jackets’ full practice and tournament schedule includes:
Wednesday, Sept. 13
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. – Practice (OhioHealth Ice Haus)
Thursday, Sept. 14
9 to 10 a.m. – Practice (Molon Rink)
3:30 p.m. – vs. TORONTO (Molon Rink)
Friday, Sept. 15
No Practice Scheduled
Saturday, Sept. 16
9 to 10 a.m. – Practice (David’s Rink)
3:30 p.m. – at Detroit Red Wings (Molon Rink)
Sunday, Sept. 17
11 a.m. – vs. DALLAS (Molon Rink)
The Blue Jackets will be coached in Traverse City by Trent Vogelhuber, head coach of the Cleveland Monsters, the club’s American Hockey League affiliate. The rookie camp roster features 25 players, including 13 that were selected by the club via the NHL Draft. Leading the group of prospects will be four of the club’s first round picks from recent drafts – 2023 first round pick Adam Fantilli (3rd overall), 2022 first round picks David Jiricek (6th overall) and Denton Mateychuk (12th overall) as well as 2021 first round pick Corson Ceulemans (25th overall). Other drafted players scheduled to participate in the tournament include: 2023 – Luca Pinelli, Tyler Peddle; 2022 – Luca Del Bel Belluz, Jordan Dumais; 2021 – Stanislav Svozil, James Malatesta, Martin Rysavy; 2020 – Samuel Knazko, Mikael Pyyhtia; 2019 – Dmitri Voronkov.
The roster also features three players who signed entry level contracts with the club with Hunter McKown and Cameron Butler in 2023 and Nolan Lalonde in 2022.
Blue Jackets veterans and rookies will open the club’s 23rd training camp, presented by OhioHealth, with medicals and fitness testing on Wednesday, September 20 with the first day of practice scheduled for the following day. The Blue Jackets open preseason play on Sunday, September 24 with split-squad games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The teams will meet at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. and at Nationwide Arena at 7 p.m. The club will open the regular season on Thursday, October 12 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena.
Single game tickets for all home games played at Nationwide Arena during the 2023-24 season are on sale now. Full and partial season tickets for the Blue Jackets’ 2023-24 campaign are currently available for purchase. Information on all ticketing options can be obtained by calling (614) 246-3350 or visiting BlueJackets.com/ticketplans.
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