Blue Jackets Plan To Move Boone Jenner To Wing – Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have officially started Training Camp. The two groups of players practiced at the Ice Haus on Thursday for a little over an hour each.

This marked the band’s first scheduled performance since the passing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Although emotions are still high, just being able to get on the ice together to start camp was another important step forward.

This also meant coach Dean Evason’s first practice with the Blue Jackets since he was hired to replace Pascal Vincent. Although the team has a lot of work as they prepare for the season, there was little to summarize what some of the players who will be opening the season will be like.

Most notably, captain Boone Jenner skated on a line with Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko. Jenner was on the left during the workout.

Evason says the roles haven’t been defined yet. However, he made it clear that Jenner going to the starting wing is something they will be doing.

“I think Boone can play anywhere, right?” Evason said. “You know that as well as I do. He doesn’t care where. He just wants to help the hockey club. But right now, we love the look of their line. There are a lot of guys that I see for the first time up front and around to watch, to be on the ice, to watch their speed and skill set. It’s exciting. Yes, Boone will start on the left with Monahan and Marchenko.”

Jenner has played in the middle for the past few seasons. With the addition of Monahan and the continued improvement of both Cole Sillinger and Adam Fantilli, the Blue Jackets now have the option to put Jenner on the wing.

This move makes sense on several levels.

First, Jenner won’t have as much responsibility to be in the unit. He can worry about playing his game without considering everything the center has to do.

Second and perhaps more important is Jenner’s health. He has had back problems in the past. Making this move allows him the opportunity to not strain his back.

Of course there will be times when Jenner ends up taking the face or playing the middle later. If Monahan is kicked out of the circle, Jenner can step in and take that painting. Having “two centers” on the top line can work to their advantage.

For a long time, nothing is set in stone as Evason and the Blue Jackets find the best places to play players. At least early in camp and possibly in the preseason, look for Jenner to play left wing, a position he held during his best scoring season.

Jiricek Gets His Main Chance

One of the biggest questions coming into this camp is who will be on the right side of the secondary? On Thursday, it was David Jiricek when he played Ivan Provorov.

Jiricek’s journey is well documented. He was told to find a place in Columbus to find himself back in Cleveland. Reports began to emerge that he was unhappy.

To Jiricek’s credit, he was a key contributor for the Monsters during the season and in the playoffs. Now, his goal is to make the NHL roster and stay there forever.

Coach Evason says Jiricek will get his chance to prove it. As for what exactly his role will be, that is yet to be decided.

“We haven’t announced anything yet,” said Evason. “We will define the roles when we get to that point. Then they have the opportunity to change those roles after we define them. If they want to play different places, they can. They will earn that right to do so. But as for David, he has as good a chance to make our hockey club as anyone.”

We’ll see as camp progresses if Jiricek plays more with Provorov or if that changes. Other pairings that stood out Thursday were Zach Werenski and Damon Severson, Jack Johnson and Erik Gudbranson and Denton Mateychuk and Cole Clayton.

Finally, once the young players have been returned to their teams, two teams will be formed. One will be an NHL team and the other a Cleveland team. Players will state which team they fall into when moving between each team.

For Jiricek, this camp shows that it will be his best chance to not only make the Blue Jackets but to have a permanent stay. Expect him to get a lot of preseason games.

Fimis Makes the Most of Chance

An underreported story in all of hockey is the aftermath of the pandemic. Now that a few years have passed, a select group of players affected by the epidemic have been downgraded or suspended.

That was the case with the invitation to camp Pano Fimis. The former number-two pick in the OHL is now thriving with the Erie Otters. His efforts caught the attention of the Blue Jackets. He received an invitation to the Buffalo Prospect’s Challenge that came without a camp guarantee. He goes out and scores three goals. You get an invitation to the main camp.

Fimis credits his coach Stan Butler for helping him get to this point. Butler is the ninth coach at Fimis. Seriously. Amid the problems at Niagara and Erie before hiring Butler, there was never a consensus from a coaching standpoint. Now he’s ready to show what he’s got.

“Stan was good to me. He keeps me honest every day,” said Fimis. “That’s one of his biggest things is being accountable and making sure that every day, we bring our best whether it’s in practice, in the gym, on the ice during the game. Because if you get better in two out of four days, you don’t get better in four out of four days. That’s something we talk about all season. That is sometimes overlooked but leads to better performance on the ice. “

You May Love It Again

Fimis is expected to return to the Otters after camp where he is expected to have a good year with a lot of talent around him. Until then, he’s trying to prove he can be an NHL player.

“I want to be able to express myself and make a statement. I think there’s been a little bit of misdirection with the whole Covid situation. But honestly there is no excuse and your window of opportunity is very small. So I want to be able to make a statement and make sure that I make a name for myself and do my own thing because you have to be able to play with your skills and do what you put here. “

Another Day 1 Notes

• Jordan Harris believes he can make the Blue Jackets’ roster. What does he feel he must do to achieve that? “Be honest with me and show me what I can do. I’m proud of the work I’ve done this summer in preparation.” What is Harris’ priority this offseason? “A little bit of everything. I think I go back to some of my skating details and some of your skill work and focus on the little things like making sure you know what you want to do with the puck before you get it, scanning the ice better, practicing both sides. “
• Adam Fantilli said he had to change a few things he did smartly while he was recovering from his injury. He played in an exhibition match at the Men’s Worlds and gained confidence from that despite not playing in the tournament. He says he couldn’t run, run and jump the same way during his recovery. It was the middle of summer when it all came back to him. He was able to train fully in the last 7-8 weeks of the offseason. He played on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Dmitri Voronkov.
• Day 2 of Training Camp takes place on Friday. Quick schedule update. The original show had Team 1 practicing before Team 2 every day. According to the Blue Jackets, they will trade. Team 2 will go first at 9:15 AM followed by Team 1 at 12:15 PM For most shows at the Nationwide Arena, practice will be held at the Ice Haus.