Summer Spotlight: Andrew Peeke

Number:2
Birth date: March 17, 1998 (age 24)
Birthplace: Parkland, Fla.
Height, Weight: 6-3, 196
Stats: 82 GP, 2-13-15
Contract:Signed through 2022-23 season (One year remaining until RFA status)

Andrew Peeke stepped into the lineup and looked like a veteran when he played 22 games in his debut season of 2019-20.
A year later, though, it felt like just about everything that could go wrong did. Peeke dressed for just 11 games in the shortened 2021 season, the youngster often finding himself a healthy scratch or sent to Cleveland to get work.
Something had to change, and it did a year ago. The Notre Dame product came to training camp determined to show that, as a highly touted second-round pick in the 2016 draft, he had what it took to stick in the lineup after what was essentially a lost season the year before.
It's fair to say it worked out for Peeke. The Blue Jackets went into last season looking for a right-shot defenseman to step up and more physical play out of the blue line, and Peeke provided it. One year after sitting out more often than not, Peeke was one of just two Jackets to skate in all 82 games and was a dependable presence at the back.
By the end of the season, no player had skated more minutes beside top-pair defenseman Zach Werenski than Peeke, and the two-time CBJ All-Star was impressed with what he saw.
"He knows his game very well," Werenski said. "I don't think he tries to do too much. He's a guy who battles extremely hard every shift, every practice, every night. No matter what it is, he's a guy, he's going to put his body on the line -- block shots, play physical. When you know your game, and you know how hard you have to play, the minutes are one thing, but I don't think he really changes anything -- whether he's playing 15 minutes or 25 minutes, he's a guy just knows how he has to play in order to be successful.
"I really enjoyed playing with him. He's a warrior out there. You root for guys like that. It's fun playing with him."

Top Moment of 2021-22

One could argue it's anytime the hair flip king lost his bucket and had to toss his long, flowing locks back over his head in a move that would become social media famous. Or you could say it's either of the two goals he had on the year -- one early vs. Winnipeg, one late vs. Tampa Bay -- but both of them were empty-net tallies. So instead, we'll go with a moment that has nothing to do with scoring. The season opener got out of hand quickly with the Blue Jackets pulling away to an 8-2 win over visiting Arizona, and late in the game Peeke dropped the gloves with Arizona's Lawson Crouse. In game one, Peeke showed the physical, stand-up nature of play he'd be providing to the Jackets all season.

A Peeke Highlight

Stat to Know

This one should say "stats to know" for Peeke. Two numbers show his value to the Blue Jackets, and they are 169 and 191. His 169 blocked shots last year not only provided plenty of bruises, they tied for fifth in the NHL and second all-time for a CBJ player in a single season since the stat was tracked. Add in 191 hits, good for second on the Blue Jackets behind the 240 of Sean Kuraly, and it's clear Peeke did the dirty work for the Blue Jackets a season ago.

2022-23 Expectations

No one's spot in the lineup is ever assured, especially as the Jackets add more young talent to the blue line, but Peeke has put himself in position to be a second- or third-pair right-shot defenseman for a long time. There will be first-pair minutes available as well this year just as there was a season ago, and Peeke is as good a candidate as any to fill them as a dependable, physical blueliner who appears to just be coming into his own.