The Columbus Blue Jackets have 17 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #17. 

Let's take a look.

Steve Maltais - 2001 - Drafted by Washington in 1987.

Maltais played 26 games during the first season of the CBJ's existence and scored three points. Before joining Columbus, he played several years for the IHL's Chicago Wolves, where he captained the team for a total of 10 years. Those years came before, and after his time in Columbus. 

He retired in 2005 as the Wolves' all-time leading scorer and has his number retired in Chicago. 

Tomi Kallio - 2003 - Drafted by Colorado in 1995.

Kallio played a total of 12 games for Columbus during the 02-03 season. That season he played for Atlanta, Columbus, and Philadelphia. 

He left for Europe in 2003, where he played in Sweden and Finland until he retired in 2018. He is the Director of European Scouting for TPS of LIIGA and has been a European scout for the San Jose Sharks for several years as well. 

Paul Manning - 2003 - Drafted by Calgary in 1998.

Manning played 8 games for the Blue Jackets and had zero points. 

He left for Germany in 2003 and played there until he retired in 2012. 

David Ling - 2004 - Drafted by Quebec in 1993. 

Ling played 90 games for Columbus and had 8 points. After his time in Columbus, Ling spent time all over the world, playing in Europe, Canada, the U.S., England, Italy, Russia, Finland, and Switzerland. As of 2025, Ling was still playing in the Allan Cup Hockey League and still hasn't retired. 

David Ling is a forgotten tough guy for the Blue Jackets. Standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 204 pounds, he was a bulldog-type player. Ling had seasons where he fought 10 and 12 times. He fought guys like Jarkko Ruutu and Jeremy Stevenson, as well as Jordin Tootoo. He played alongside Jody Shelley during the two seasons when he was fighting a lot. Having those two on the same team had to be pretty intimidating for other teams, knowing that at any time, you may be called to fight one of these guys.

Gilbert Brulé - 2006-2008 - Drafted by Columbus in 2005. 

Gilbert Brulé, former GM Doug MacLean's Wayne Gretzky. Or so he thought. Brulé played 146 games for Columbus and only had 32 points. 

After his time in the NHL, he played in Europe until he retired in 2021. 

Andrew Murray - 2009-2011 - Drafted by Columbus in 2001. 

After playing four years at Bemidji State University, Murray turned pro and played for the Syracuse Crunch for two seasons before making his NHL Debut during the 2007-08 season. In his rookie year, he played in 39 games and totaled 10 points. 

He played three more seasons in Columbus and played in 181 games. He would score 23 goals and total 36 points during his time with the CBJ. 

He would leave the Jackets in free agency in 2011 and play for the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues, but he wouldn't get much playing time. 

He left North America in 2013 and headed for Europe. He played two seasons in the KHL for a team in Croatia, but after that, he wouldn't play professional hockey again. 

Mark Letestu - 2012 - Undrafted out of Elk Point, Alberta.

 Letestu was traded to Columbus by Pittsburgh for Columbus's 4th round pick on November 8, 2011. He played in 255 games in two different stints with the CBJ, scoring 44 goals and totaling 102 points. He also played 64 games for the Cleveland Monsters during the 2018-19 season, where he scored 50 points. He would play his last NHL game on October 13th, 2019, for the Winnipeg Jets.

In 2021, he was hired as an Assistant. Coach by the Monsters, where he served until 2025. In the Summer of 2025, he was hired by the AHL's Colorado Eagles as their next head coach.

Brandon Dubinsky - 2013-2019 - Drafted by the New York Rangers in 2004. 

Dubinsky was traded to Columbus in the summer of 2012, in the now-infamous Rick Nash trade. Coming to Columbus with Dubinsky were Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a draft pick, which would later become Kerby Rychel. He played 420 games for Columbus and totaled 225 points. 

Sadly, after the 2018-19 season, Dubinsky’s career was cut short due to what was described as a “chronic condition” in his wrist. He embodied what it was to be a Blue Jacket 10 years ago. A hard worker who would do anything to beat you.

These days, you can routinely catch him at CBJ games sitting amongst the crowd. Dubinsky is also a partner with JBM Development, a construction company focusing on the development and management of multi-family housing in Columbus. He also owns a limousine service.   

Justin Danforth - 2022-2025 - Undrafted out of Oshawa, Ontario.

Little-known forward Justin Danforth was signed on May 3, 2021. The path to the NHL for Danforth was very interesting. After going undrafted, he played four years in the NCAA, the AHL, and the ECHL before leaving for Europe in 2018. After playing in LIIGA for two seasons and the KHL for another, he came home to North America, where he would finally sign an NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Danforth would play 183 games for the Jackets over four years and total 64 points. Unfortunately, Danforth's career was marred by injuries, which included concussions and a shoulder surgery. Danforth was signed to a two-year, $3.6 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres this past offseason. 

There are 17 days left until opening night at NWA. Who's your favorite #17?

Let us know what you think below.

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