Battalion Breakdown is a closer look at the Blue Jackets' past season from a numerical standpoint, starting with the highest jersey number and counting down to the lowest. Today, BlueJackets.com examines Markus Hannikainen's season and how it impacted Columbus in the 2017-18 campaign.
Markus Hannikainen
Number: 37
Age: 25
Birthdate: March 26, 1993
Height/Weight: 6-1, 200
Position: Forward
Nickname: "Hanni"
Two years ago, Markus Hannikainen made the drive between Cleveland and Columbus so often he knew the exits by heart.
This past season, those trips diminished and he spent most of the year with the Blue Jackets. That was good news, along with playing the most games of his brief NHL career. The flip side was all the time Hannikainen spent watching hockey as a healthy scratch.
After starting out playing the first three games to begin the season, he was scratched the next four and then made the first of three trips North up I-71 to play with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League.
There were definitely bright spots for the speedy Finnish forward.
He had goals in back-to-back games Nov. 2-4 against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, along with the first multi-point game of his NHL career in that game against the Lightning (one goal, one assist).
There were also frustrating stretches, such as playing 13 straight games without contributing a point Dec. 18 to Jan. 12 - which was also his longest string of consecutive games played.
Overall, though, it was a solid growth year for Hannikainen. He didn't seize the opportunity to earn a regular role in the lineup but played a lot more in Columbus than his first two seasons and will head into training camp looking to take the next step.
Here's a closer look at Hannikainen's 2017-18 season by the numbers:
BATTALION BREAKDOWN: Markus Hannikainen
Young forward took strides, playing the most NHL games of his career.