How he got here: A standout player growing up in the Detroit area, Werenski was long ticketed for the NHL, showcasing enough promise to be part of the U.S. National Team Development program. After a year there, he moved to the college ranks at age 17 and spent two seasons with the University of Michigan, earning All-America honors. Columbus made him the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, and Werenski hasn’t disappointed, rewriting the CBJ record books and becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to reach 300 points in his career while earning a pair of All-Star bids thus far. His 90 goals in the eight seasons since his NHL debut are seventh among league defensemen in the time span behind only Roman Josi, Brent Burns, Dougie Hamilton, Victor Hedman, John Carlson and Alex Pietrangelo.
The 2023-24 season: Coming off of season-ending shoulder surgery that limited his 2022-23 campaign to just 13 games, Werenski largely stayed healthy throughout the year and turned in one of the best seasons for a defenseman in franchise history. His 57 points tied Seth Jones’ single-season franchise record by a blueliner, while his 46 assists set a new CBJ mark. In a season in which the Blue Jackets had 10 defensemen play at least 10 games, Werenski was the usual standby at the blue line, capable of leading the way in every situation.
Top moment: Werenski certainly went out with a bang in the season finale April 16 against Carolina, posting the third four-point night of his career with two goals and two assists. Before the game, retiring play-by-play man Jeff Rimer predicted Werenski notch four points to reach Jones’ record, and the CBJ defenseman assured it by scoring his second goal of the game in the final minute of Rimer’s tenure.
