The Columbus Blue Jackets add another reason to their claim of Jussi Jokinen earlier today, as they announce that Sonny Milano will be out four to six weeks with a torn oblique. The team has also recalled Tyler Motte from the AHL for the time being.
Milano was injured during a game earlier this month against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will miss out on a big chunk of his first full-time chance in the NHL. In 35 games this season, Milano had 13 points. The 21-year old is a big part of the Blue Jackets future, and could be considered a trade deadline acquisition when he’s able to return later in February.
The Blue Jackets, who currently sit third in the Metropolitan Division but have struggled recently, are one of the most interesting teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches. Though Jokinen could be an option to fix some of their powerplay woes and depth issues up front, they likely are continuing to monitor the trade market for a more impactful fix.
Still dealing with injured reserve stints for Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson, Columbus could be a tough team to bring down if they could ever get healthy. With Milano now joining the walking wounded, the team could be forced to make an additional move before long to make sure they don’t fall behind in the extremely competitive Metro. They sit just five points ahead of the last-place Hurricanes, and at any point could fall out of a playoff spot.
Gavin, I’m a high school student looking for a way to get my feet wet in the sports media industry. I am in no way asking for a job, but do you have any suggestions for where I could go to get started? I live in NH, so I would have to start online. Again, not asking to work here, just looking for somewhere I could get started. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! Other commenters, feel free to chime in as well if you have any suggestions.
FanSided is a good place to get your feet wet IMO. I used to run the Habs blog there a few years ago and it was a really cool experience. They are always looking for contributors and they even offer paid positions though the pay is pretty minimal for the effort needed to run the blog successfully.
Keegan Matheson used to run the Jays Journal blog there a while back and used that as a stepping stone to covering Jays prospects full time while also being a Jays correspondent for TSN Radio.
Thanks Doc. I applied for a couple unpaid positions on SB Nation blogs, and found a fantasy site that was hiring with no prior writing experience necessary. I’ll see if any of those pan out, the positions seemed to be in pretty high demand.
As Doc mentions below, places like Fansided and SB Nation are fine ways to start your writing career and hone the craft. I myself contributed at Call to the Pen on Fansided, however briefly. They have solid audiences to get your work in front of, and can offer some support from editorial staffs (though this experience varies widely).
If you’re looking to get into sports journalism though, you don’t necessarily need to start with a fan blog. There are plenty of local newspapers or sites that are looking for help covering minor league or amateur sports, and often offer internships even for high school students. Call them.
There is no definitive point of entry to sports media, and journalism doesn’t necessarily need to only be done by J-school grads. If you feel like there is a story to tell about a local player, get on the phone or knock on doors until someone sits down to talk about it. Bring a camera, and edit it into a short documentary. Invest in some audio equipment and start a podcast. Ask high school or minor teams if you can be allowed on the sideline/courtside/rinkside to photograph them that season.
Just the fact that you’re thinking about it while still in high school is a good start. Now just go hunt down the opportunity you want–you’ll be surprised how many people are will to give it to you.
Thanks so much for the advice. I’m looking to start with an SB Nation blog just to add something to my resume, and after some experience on there I was thinking about contacting someone at the local newspaper, or the local ECHL team.
I’ve contacted a fantasy sports site as well, do you have any suggestions for other fantasy sites that might be hiring? Any and all sports experience is good for me right now, as I would like to transition to front office work someday. I think fantasy sports work may be a better path to that due to the numbers and calculations that can be involved. Also, I’m an avid fantasy owner so that would be something I would enjoy.
A podcast would be really interesting. I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks so much for helping me.