The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost another young forward for the time being, as Emil Bemstrom has entered the COVID protocol. The team has recalled Trey Fix-Wolansky under emergency conditions to replace him on the roster.
Bemstrom, 22, has played in just 13 games for the Blue Jackets this season, recording two goals and four points. The fourth-round pick became a top prospect a few years ago when he was dominating in Sweden, and looked like he would quickly become a regular at the NHL level when he recorded 20 points in 56 games during the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone smoothly for him since, and now he finds himself fighting for ice time. An absence, however short, won’t help his case.
Fix-Wolansky meanwhile could be making his NHL debut should he get into the Blue Jackets lineup, one that is a long time coming for the 22-year-old forward. A seventh-round pick in 2018, the 5’7″ winger was a dominant offensive presence in the WHL, scoring 102 points in 65 games during the 2018-19 season with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He has been excellent in the minor leagues as well, though a torn ACL limited him to just 74 AHL games to this point. In 22 matches this season he has 17 points, once again showing he can drive offense at the professional level. Whether he can do it on a regular basis for the Blue Jackets is another thing entirely but with Bemstrom–along with Alexandre Texier and Eric Robinson–sidelined for the next few games he might get a chance to prove it.