The Blue Jackets announced that they’ve signed defense prospect Luca Marrelli to a three-year entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Columbus brought Marrelli into the organization with the 86th overall pick in this year’s draft. The 19-year-old 6’2″ righty was one of the older players available thanks to his early October birthday, so he’s already in his fourth season of major junior hockey.
The Toronto native is having a great season with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, ranking second on the team in scoring behind 2024 third-overall selection Beckett Sennecke with 40 points (14 G, 26 A) in just 30 games with a +16 rating. Marrelli, touted as a two-way threat on the blue line, had 57 points in 67 games last year.
He was largely a consensus top-100 pick, although some, such as TSN’s Craig Button, opined he was more of a second-round talent than the third-round one he ended up being. Elite Prospects called the Toronto native a “high-activity defenseman” who “[locks] down every attacker who enters his space.”
Thanks to that early birthday, Marrelli will be eligible to make the jump from the CHL to the AHL starting next season instead of needing to wait two years like most CHLers. Marrelli’s ELC will slide to the 2025-26 campaign as he won’t play in 10 NHL contests this year, so he won’t be able to test restricted free agency until 2028 at the earliest.
Marrelli’s deal won’t count against the 50-contract limit for now since it’s slide-eligible for this year. That means the Jackets still have four open slots, per PuckPedia.
If you haven’t seen Marelli, you are missing out.