In some ways, Kole Sherwood is a pioneer, even if it's not something he's focused on.
The first-ever central Ohio-born player to suit up for the Blue Jackets has blazed a unique path to what he describes as a "special" accomplishment when he made history by putting on the union blue sweater last winter.
A late bloomer who was undrafted, Sherwood has always had to scrap and fight for his chances, one reason he said he never quite believed he could make it to hockey's highest level until it happened.
"I have always thought I have been pretty good at hockey, but you don't realize where it's going to go," Sherwood told Dylan Tyrer on this week's episode of the Pipeline Podcast, a weekly interview series with top CBJ prospects presented by your central Ohio Toyota dealers. "I would say not until honestly my first callup of getting to play. You always have it in the back of your mind.
"You think you can play, but until you actually get a sniff and an opportunity, I don't think it was until my first game. It was like, 'OK, now I can go from here and take the next steps.'"
Despite the fact Sherwood was undrafted coming out of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program, the now 23-year-old has parlayed a unique combination of size, speed and scoring ability to make it as a pro. Originally committed to Boston University, Sherwood saw his life change when he attended the Blue Jackets development camp in the summer of 2015 and so impressed that he signed an entry-level deal with the franchise.
That sent him to the OHL, where he spent single seasons with London, Flint and Kitchener. Sherwood tallied 85 points in 60 games with the Firebirds in his middle campaign in the OHL, then was a point-per-game player again a year later with the Rangers before 14 goals and 26 points in 19 postseason games.
The past two years he's spent largely with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, though Sherwood played two games with the Blue Jackets last year when he made his debut and three more this year before suffering an oblique injury that sidetracked his campaign.
Looking back, Sherwood says his campaign with Flint and his postseason with Kitchener were the two places he's grown the most. And now that the New Albany native has made it to the highest level, he's realized he has to lean into the gritty side of his game more than the scoring to stick.
"I think it's a maturity," he said of what he's learned from CBJ development coaches Chris Clark and Greg Campbell. "For me, it took that long for it to really sink in to let your ego go, this is the type of game you're going to have to play to make it to the next level. I found success doing that (last) year in Cleveland, and obviously the rest speaks for itself.
"That's the part of my game that I'm working on, but I feel good now. It's just reminding myself, you're not a dipsy-doodle dangler. I get my goals and score goals because of my hard work and grittiness and being around the net and that knack for just being hard to play against."
Sherwood also talks to Tyrer about who he models his game after, growing up going to Blue Jackets games, playing with NHL stars like Mitch Marner in juniors, signing with Columbus, his experiences in Cleveland and more.
Be sure to check out the Pipeline Podcast in the audio player above,
or listen to it through your favorite podcasting app by searching CBJ Radio.
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