Loading The Cannon: Corson Ceulemans

Former CBJ GM Jarmo Kekäläinen made a few moves during the 2021 season that gave them some extra draft capital. One of those moves was trading Captain Nick Foligno to the Toronto Maple Leafs in April 2021. That trade sent Columbus a 2021 first-round pick, which ended up being pick 25. That pick would also be the Jacket's third first-round pick in that draft. The first two picks were Kent Johnson(5) and Cole Sillinger(12), so the 25th pick afforded the Jackets to choose someone who could be a bit of a project.

That project ended up being defenseman Corson Ceulemans. Ceulemans would be the first defenseman chosen by the Blue Jackets in the first round since 2015 when they chose Zach Werenski and Gabriel Carlsson.

Ceulemans would go on to attend the University of Wisconsin for two seasons. In those two seasons, Ceulemans would not only be the best defenseman, but some considered him to be the best player overall on those two Badger teams. 

In the two years Ceulemans played at Wisconsin, the team went a combined 13-35-1-1. They were not very good, but Ceulemans shined. 

In his freshman season, he tied the Badgers in scoring with 22 points and led all defensemen as well. The closest blue liner in points to Ceulemans had 7 points. He also led the team in assists and was 4th in PIMs. 

His sophomore season for Wisconsin saw them get no better in terms of their record, but individually, players would score more points. Ceulemans had 23 points on the season, again leading the defensive corps. The closest D-man would have 15 in this season. Ceulemans would also be tied for third in points, 5th in goals, third in assists, and third in PIMs. 

At the end of his second season in Madison, Ceulemans decided to turn pro. He signed an ELC on Mar. 7, 2023, and would join the Cleveland Monsters. 

He played in 13 games for Cleveland towards the end of their 2022-23 season and would chip in two points.

The 2023-24 season was the season where Corson Ceulemans would take the next step. Instead, the Monsters ended up playing 11 different defensemen in the regular season, limiting time. Some guys didn't play as much due to injuries and callups. Others were limited because they had so many quality defensemen that had to play. A blessing and a curse that's for sure.  

Ceulemans played in 47 games last season. He finished the season with 3 goals and 12 points. He finished 6th in games played by defensemen and 7th in points.

Many have wondered if Ceulemans isn't the prospect that everyone thought he was. Let's remember that he only played in 47 of the 72 games in his rookie AHL season. With Columbus having the NHL roster they do, there was nowhere for some guys to go. So Cleveland had the luxury of rotating guys in and out of the lineup to get other players the playing time they needed. As Ceulemans gets more experience, look for his games played to go much higher.

Corson Ceulemans is still young at 21, so he's going to get his shot eventually. But for now, he has a chance to make a name for himself in Cleveland. 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.

More From THN Columbus