While defenseman Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Blue Jackets last month, he’s nonetheless staying in the organization on an AHL deal with their affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
The Norwegian native is now 23 years old and was a fifth-round pick by Columbus back in 2020 from the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. He’s now played parts of four seasons in Cleveland but only managed to land a full-time role this past season, and that’s putting it generously.
The 6’3″ lefty is a two-way defender with a physical edge, functioning as a No. 6/7 option for the Monsters while posting seven points and 50 PIMs in 44 games last year. He spent most of 2023-24 with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, where he displayed much more offensive upside with 33 points in 57 games.
He’s been a serviceable depth piece, and while Columbus was no longer willing to use a contract slot on him, Bjorgvik-Holm will at least get a chance to continue his development in a familiar environment. He’s now no longer eligible for a recall to the Jackets’ NHL roster unless he signs a new contract with them, and he remains an unrestricted free agent in the NHL’s eyes.
More news out of the AHL:
- Also returning to Cleveland this season on an AHL contract is defenseman Will MacKinnon, Portzline notes. MacKinnon, 25, was a late-season pickup by the Monsters after serving as a depth AHL/ECHL option in the Devils organization with Utica and Adirondack since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign. He played just two games for Cleveland after the trade but totaled 44 AHL appearances on the year with his time in Utica, posting four points and 42 PIMs with a minus-one rating. He and Bjorgvik-Holm will both compete to avoid ECHL reassignment and provide a depth complement to their more NHL-projectable prospects.
- Goaltender Jack LaFontaine has signed a new deal to return to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, the team announced. LaFontaine, 27, has spent the last two years in the Kraken organization on deals with Coachella Valley but has primarily played at the ECHL level with the Kansas City Mavericks. He posted a 2.22 GAA, .914 SV%, and sparkling 21-8-1 record in 31 games for them last season, so he might earn more time up with the Firebirds this coming year. The former University of Minnesota standout has a .900 SV% in 23 career AHL appearances and made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes back in 2021-22, logging a .780 SV% in two contests.