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Hunter McKown

Blue Jackets Reassign Seven Players

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Oct. 5: The five players mentioned below were returned to AHL Cleveland this morning, along with goaltender Jet Greaves and center Owen Sillinger, per the team.

Oct. 4: For the second time in the past few days, the Blue Jackets have summoned some reinforcements from AHL Cleveland to get another crack in exhibition play after previously being cut from their training camp roster. Defensemen Cole Clayton and Stanislav Svozil were part of a round of recalls a few days back and are now again on the NHL roster, while centers Luca Del Bel Belluz and Hunter McKown and left wing James Malatesta are joining them today as well, the team announced. The quintet will suit up for Columbus tonight as they take on the Penguins in their final preseason game.

Clayton’s, McKown’s, and Svozil’s standings in the organization were covered during their roster moves earlier this week. But the 20-year-old Del Bel Belluz getting another look this late in camp isn’t wholly insignificant. The 6’0″ pivot was a second-round pick in 2022 and, thanks to his November birthday, was eligible for a full-time AHL assignment last year. The Blue Jackets took advantage, placing the youngster on the farm with Cleveland. He impressed, finishing sixth on the team in scoring with 31 points (9 G, 22 A) in 58 games.

There remain some concerns over his defensive game, but it was a strong initial showing on the scoresheet for Del Bel Belluz, who likely warranted a late first-round selection in his draft year. He made his NHL debut in Columbus’ final game of the 2023-24 season against the Hurricanes, scoring his first NHL goal in 9:35 of ice time.

Meanwhile, Malatesta got a bit of a longer look at the NHL level last season, with a rash of injuries creating opportunities for some of Columbus’ younger forwards. The 21-year-old Montreal native didn’t look entirely out of place, posting two goals and two assists for four points with a -1 rating in 11 games. He managed 12 shots on goal and a whopping 41 hits – nearly four per game – while averaging 10:13 per night. The 2021 fifth-round pick is a strong skater and a true energy winger, playing much bigger than his 5’9″, 190-lb frame would indicate. He had 12 goals and 22 points in 56 games for Cleveland last year in his first taste of professional hockey.

Blue Jackets Recall Three, Make Other Roster Moves

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Oct. 2: Clayton, Svozil, and Sawchenko were returned to Cleveland today while Gaudet was released from his PTO, the Blue Jackets confirmed.

Oct. 1: The Blue Jackets have recalled defensemen Cole Clayton, Stanislav Svozil, and goaltender Zachary Sawchenko from AHL Cleveland, general manager Don Waddell announced Tuesday. They’ve also signed forward Jake Gaudet, who is under contract with Cleveland for this season, to a PTO and assigned forward Hunter McKown to the minors.

The moves come with three preseason games still left on Columbus’ schedule this week, including a home-and-home against the Penguins on Thursday and Friday. Adding some of their earlier training camp cuts back to the training camp roster gives them more flexibility to rest their regulars, likely saving most of them for the finale against Pittsburgh.

Clayton, 24, is an intriguing name to watch entering his fourth professional season. The right-shot defender went undrafted out of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, signing an AHL deal with Cleveland in 2021 and spending three years there before landing a one-year entry-level deal with Columbus this past summer.

The Alberta native has good size at 6’2″ and 209 lbs and is coming off a career-best year on the farm, finishing fourth among Cleveland defenders in scoring with 20 points (5 G, 15 A) in 59 games with a +4 rating. His skating is a concern, and he’s not overly physical for his frame, but he does have good playmaking skills and could be a fringe NHL option down the line. He’ll get at least one more chance to prove his worth in exhibition competition before returning to Cleveland in the coming days.

Svozil was a third-rounder back in 2021, later than some thought he’d go after spending nearly the entire season in the top-level Czech Extraliga. Now 21, the left-shot blue liner is coming off a strong rookie season with Cleveland that saw him post five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 57 games with a +1 rating.

He didn’t see NHL action last season but did make his debut at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign, recording an assist and a -3 rating in two appearances. He has two years left on his entry-level contract and is expected to log top-four minutes for Cleveland this year. He should be considered for a mid-season recall if injuries strike.

Sawchenko, 26, was signed purely as organizational depth between the pipes this summer as a Group VI UFA. He spent last season on a two-way deal with the Canucks, but injuries limited him to just six appearances with AHL Abbotsford. He was strong in his limited run, though, posting a 2.12 GAA and .924 SV% with a 4-1-0 record. His career-average .898 SV% in the minors leaves much to be desired, though. He’s the fourth goalie on the Blue Jackets’ depth chart and will serve as the backup to Jet Greaves this season in Cleveland after clearing waivers last Saturday.

Gaudet, 28, will likely get a nice opportunity to skate in an exhibition game but don’t expect it to lead to an NHL deal down the line. The 6’2″, 201-lb center split last season between AHL Cleveland and ECHL Cincinnati, posting 12 points in 49 AHL contests and seven points in 10 ECHL games. He’s spent his entire professional career under contract with Cleveland after a four-year run with UMass, which ended with him captaining them to a national championship in 2021.

McKown, 22, will start the season in Cleveland after being cut from camp for the second year in a row. An undrafted free agent signing out of Colorado College in 2022-23, he played out the final 12 games of the season with Columbus and had two assists with a -4 rating. He didn’t crack the opening night roster in 2023-24, though, and proceeded to post a lukewarm nine goals and 24 points in 53 games with Cleveland.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Hunter McKown

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved to bolster their prospect pool, signing college free agent center Hunter McKown to a three-year, entry-level contract, per the team. Financial terms are undisclosed.

McKown will report directly to the Blue Jackets later this week, the team said. The news comes after reports this morning suggested the Chicago Blackhawks had an interest in acquiring McKown’s services.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen had the following statement on McKown’s signing:

We are very excited to welcome Hunter to the Blue Jackets family. He is a big, skilled center who is a powerful skater and possesses an elite shot, and we believe he has a chance to be a very productive player as he continues to develop. He was a highly sought after college free agent and we are thrilled to have him join our club and embark on his professional career with the Blue Jackets.

McKown, 20, was a breakout player for Colorado College the last two seasons, scoring 21 goals and seven assists in 38 games during his junior year. He also led the entire NCAA in power-play goals with 14.

Given his defensive prowess and good size, McKown projects as a capable bottom-six center who could potentially slot into a role similar to the injured Sean Kuraly as the season winds down. His booming shot made him an appealing signing for many teams, and McKown will join a young, rising team in Columbus, where he could get plenty of opportunity next season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

Born in San Jose, California, McKown was passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft. Across his three-year career at Colorado College, McKown totaled 36 goals and 19 assists in 96 games.

Chicago Blackhawks Expressing Interest In Hunter McKown

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Undrafted free agent signing season is well underway, and with the season over for all but 16 NCAA DI men’s hockey teams, activity on that front will only heat up over the next few days.

One name that could go off the board in the coming news cycles is Hunter McKown, a 20-year-old center coming off his junior campaign with Colorado College. The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports Monday morning that the Chicago Blackhawks, among other teams, are in the mix to land his services.

McKown has been a bit of a late bloomer, at least offensively. An August 2002 birthday, McKown has been passed over in the past three drafts, but it’s not hard to see why he was skipped over in his first eligible year in 2020. He spent his draft year campaign with the U.S. National U18 Team but recorded just one goal and 10 assists in 54 games in 2019-20.

Since then, it’s been a different story. As Elite Prospects notes, the hallmark of McKown’s game has been his defensive awareness, but his shooting has shown significant development in the college ranks. McKown led Colorado College in both goals (21) and points (28) in 38 games played this season, continuing what’s been a positive linear progression offensively since joining the school.

His all-around game reached such a point last season that he was named to the 2022 World Juniors roster for Team USA, where he registered an assist in four games.

As Powers notes, Chicago is expected to face stiff competition for McKown’s services on the open market. It’s been known to NHL teams for “some time” that McKown planned to turn pro after this season, giving multiple teams time to make their interest known and prepare offers.

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