Nick Blankenburg seems to be fighting an uphill battle
On April 8th, 2022, the Blue Jackets announced they had signed a defenseman out of the University of Michigan named Nick Blankenburg, and some fans said “who?” To be fair a lot of fans knew who he was, he was the Captain of Michigan after all. The defense struggled mightily that season, and with only a handful of games left, why not let the kid play?
Blankenburg made his NHL debut on April 13th, 2022, and it took him all of two periods to notch his first NHL point, an assist against Montreal. Eleven days later on April 24th, Blankenburg would score his first NHL goal against Edmonton. He would finish the season having played in seven games, scoring 1 goal and 3 points. But he was already a fan favorite.
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Blankenburg didn’t take the traditional road to the NHL. After high school he didn’t make a junior team, so he played for Victory Honda, a major midget team. He then played for the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL, which is a level below American or Canadian juniors. After scoring 42 points in 57 games, the University of Michigan offered him a walk-on opportunity, which he happily took, playing his freshman season in 2018-19.
In his first two seasons at Michigan, he would play in 69 games, scoring 6 goals and totaling 26 points. His junior season he only played in 26 games and would only have 13 points. But more importantly, he was given the “A” to wear on his jersey, and being a leader on a championship caliber team is something he should be proud of. His Senior season, he was promoted to Captain of the team and awarded a scholarship. He would go on to play 38 games and have 29 points. His team would make it to the frozen four and be eliminated by Denver on April 7th, but the next day, Blankenburg would be signed by the Jackets. That same day, his Michigan teammate and 2021 5th overall pick Kent Johnson would also sign with Columbus, it was a good day for the Michigan Hockey Program.
Last season would see the injury bug visit Blankenburg early and often. He would only play in 36 games, and finish with 14 points. He would also miss the last month of the season due to injury. When he was able to play, he generally played well, and that’s what gets CBJ fans excited. Blankenburg has admitted that he needs to put himself in better positions as to not get injured. It’s definitely something that can and should be learned. But with the off-season additions of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, and with Zach Werenski and Jake Bean back and healthy, the question is whether or not he can actually make the team.
If Jarmo decides to keep Andrew Peeke, Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist, Blankenburg will most likely be in Cleveland, which isn’t a bad thing for him. He’s still young and has only 43 games in the NHL. He can still work on his positioning and putting himself in better spots as to not get hurt. Cleveland is going to be very good this year, and he could be a major contributor to that team. He and David Jiricek, Stanislav Svovil, Corson Ceulemans, Samuel Knazko, Jake Christiansen, and Ole Bjorgvik-Holm could be a really good blue line for both Cleveland this season, and in Columbus in the future.
Blankenburg is entering the final year of his 2-year contract and then will be a restricted free agent. He is waivers exempt meaning he can go down to the AHL, and that is what could very well happen. But what if Mike Babcock loves Blankenburg and wants him to play? This is where GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s job could very well difficult if he chooses to hold onto Peeke, Bean and Boqvist.
With 77 days to go, who better else to talk about then Nick Blankenburg.
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Related: Predicting the lines for the upcoming season is nearly impossible.