Prospect Report: Christiansen making his mark with Monsters

There were a lot of reasons why Jacob Christiansen might not have fully enjoyed his first full season of pro hockey last year.
COVID wreaked havoc with just about everything, and it kept the AHL to just 28 games, which is less than what anyone would want as they're figuring out how to make the adjustment to the next level.
But there was a silver lining to everything the Cleveland Monsters had to deal with. The modified schedule meant most games were held on weekends, leaving the weekdays as time for players like Christiansen to get in plenty of practice and video work.

For someone learning on the job, the defenseman did his best to make the best of the situation.
"We had a lot of practice time, so I had lots of time to work with the coaches on little details," he told Dylan Tyrer in the latest episode of the CBJ Pipeline Podcast. "I'm actually thankful for that. I just think I got a lot of time to look at video and learn and stuff. Last season was great. It was definitely an adjustment period, a different league, everyone is stronger. After last season, it was nice to go into the offseason knowing what I had to improve on and having a good chunk of games to learn from.
As for what that would be, Christiansen said, "I think the biggest thing was just my strength. You're playing against men now, and guys are strong. Winning puck battles is really important. You're going in against big guys. I wasn't very mature, so just going into the offseason, working on my strength was the biggest thing for me."

And if there's a book on Christiansen, it's that the defensive part of his game is what needs to come along because he certainly has the offensive skills to make it in the NHL. He was one of the most highly sought-after free agents coming out of the Canadian junior ranks in the spring of 2020 after a dominating final season with Everett of the WHL, where he scored 22 goals and added 28 assists for 50 points in just 38 games.
In the end, though, Columbus was the choice for Christiansen.
"I had a couple of options," he says looking back. "I had five teams to choose from, so I went through the interviewing process and talking to the staff from different teams and I decided on Columbus. It felt like the right choice for me and their development plan and everything. I'm really happy I chose that."
He signed just says before the COVID pause hit the NHL and led to the end of the WHL season as well, so his first action with the Blue Jackets organization came last year in Cleveland. After a slow start with just one point in the first eight games, Christiansen went on to find his offensive game as the year went on, finishing with a 3-11-14 line in his final 21 games. Included in that span was a four-point contest and a three-point game.
He's carried that success into this season, posting a strong outing at the Traverse City prospects tournament and thus far notching 17 points in 17 games with five goals and 12 assists for the Monsters. That mark places him second in the AHL in points among defensemen.
"I think last season it took me a bit to get going," he said. "I think I had maybe one point in 10 games and then I settled in and felt more comfortable. And then going into the offseason just knowing what I had to do and improve on and knowing what I can work on to get better and really strive to be better. Coming into this season, I just felt confident knowing what to expect."

As Christiansen continues to work on his game in the minors, he feels like someone who could contribute at the NHL level as time goes by. He brings good size to the table, excellent skill and the chance to be someone who can impact the game in all facets.
"I think that my strengths are what has gotten me here, so I try to keep working on those," he said. "My skating, my shot and my stickhandling, offensive abilities, that's some of the stuff I work on after practice every day. Obviously seeing those (NHL players), they are amazing at those skills. There's always a lot of room for improvement."

Monsters on a Roll

Christiansen said the Monsters -- boasting a bevy of CBJ prospects and also a number of players who have played NHL minutes in recent years -- came into the season expecting a lot. An early season bout of adversity in the form of some tough results hurt, but the team is now where it wants to be -- in second place in the AHL's North Division with a 9-3-2-3 record through 17 games.
"It's great," Christiansen said of the vibe in Cleveland. "I feel like there's a lot of returners and then there's some guys that have joined us that are awesome guys. The start of the season was weird, I feel like. We were underachieving for what we had expected because we have a really good group of guys in the room and a really skilled team. It felt like every game was going to overtime. We have fought through it and a little bit of adversity is always good for a team early in the season."
Cleveland is on a bit of a hot run, having a 4-0-1-0 record in the last five games and having earned points in seven of the last eight contests. This past weekend, the team won a 5-1 contest at home vs. Toronto on Friday, then dropped a 4-3 overtime final a day later in Toronto.
Just about everybody got on board in the opening win, as Brent Gallant, Tyler Sikura, Liam Foudy, Christiansen and Trey Fix-Wolansky all scored. Christiansen added two assists, while Kevin Stenlund had a three-helper night and goalie Daniil Tarasov stopped 35 shots.
The Monsters battled in the finale but still picked up a point in the overtime setback. Stenlund, Dillon Simpson and Adam Helewka got on the board, with Helewka adding two assists for a three-point night. Jean-Francois Berube made 27 saves.
On the season, Christiansen leads the team in scoring, while Gaunce is right behind with a 7-8-15 line. Tyler Angle has been one of the top assist men in the league all season, compiling 13 helpers among his 14 points, while Foudy and Carson Meyer each have five goals. In addition, Fix-Wolansky has three goals and four points in four games since returning from a knee injury.
In net, Tarasov is 5-2-2 on the season with a 2.96 GAA and .897 save percentage. The Russian prospect has given up just one goal in three of his last four starts, posting a .926 save percentage in that span.
Next up, the team plays home games Friday and Saturday against Milwaukee and also hosts Grand Rapids for a Monday night contest.

Around the Prospects World

• Michigan forward Kent Johnson, the team's top pick in the 2021 draft when he went fifth overall, is continuing to impress. He's up to a 4-19-23 line in 16 games for the Wolverines, good for a tie for second in college hockey in points with teammate Owen Power. Over the weekend, he became the fastest Wolverine to 50 points since Winnipeg star Kyle Connor in 2015-16, reaching the milestone in 42 games over two seasons.
• Johnson also seems ticketed to star for the Canadian team that will take part in the upcoming World Juniors tournament in Edmonton/Red Deer. In fact, Johnson was listed on the camp roster released by Canada today, the only CBJ draft pick on the squad (2021 first-round pick Corson Ceuelemans was not listed) that will take part in the event that begins Dec. 26
• Norway isn't headed to the big version of the World Juniors, but 2020 fifth-round pick Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm is on the roster for the squad that will take part in the Division I Group A tournament, set for later this month in Denmark. The defenseman spent last year with Cleveland but now plays for Mississauga of the OHL.
• Staying in college, defenseman Guillaume Richard is off to a tremendous start with Providence this season. The 2021 fourth-rounder has a 2-7-9 line and plus-13 rating in 14 games with the Friars.
• Overseas, 19-year-old forward Mikael Pyyhtia is starting to make his mark with TPS of the Finnish top-level Liiga. So far, the winger has a 5-6-11 line in 23 games after cementing himself at the senior level a season ago and also playing in the 2021 World Juniors.