WORLDS REVIEW: Breaking down the Blue Jackets, from Cam to Elvis

The 2018 IIHF Men's World Championship has come and gone, played out over two weeks in Denmark earlier this month.
Looking back, the tournament was dotted with Blue Jackets connections - from the preliminary round to Sweden's shootout win against Switzerland in the gold-medal game, which ended with Swiss defenseman Dean Kukan wearing a silver medal.
"Always, when you get a chance to win something, it's good," said Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who scouted Group A of the tournament's preliminary round in Copenhagen. "It was a good experience for these guys and most of them were young players or very young players, so to have that kind of experience under their belt, to be able to keep playing, is good. It just adds to their development and experience, and they can only grow from that."

In all, Columbus had seven NHL players and four prospects compete for eight separate countries in Denmark. The Jackets also had Bill Zito, assistant general manager, with a stake in the tournament as the U.S. general manager.
All but one of the players logged time and three, plus Zito, won medals: Kukan (Switzerland, silver), Cam Atkinson (U.S., bronze) and Sonny Milano (U.S., bronze).
"For the guys who have a modicum of success, it's a great way to finish off a year where you're really dissatisfied with how the season ended," Zito said. "It's like you didn't get the cake, but maybe you can lick the frosting. For many players, it's also about a learning curve and a learning experience. It's exposure to different players and different coaches, different ways of doing things, playing in a different system and learning more about yourself and about others. It's invaluable being in those rooms."
That goes for GMs, as well.
"From a management standpoint, I should be paying them to let me do it," said Zito, who also won a bronze with the U.S. in 2015, when he was an advisor for a team that included defenseman Seth Jones, then with the Nashville Predators. "Now, I intimately know 20 new guys, inside and out. For me, I just kept my mouth shut and learned. You see all kinds of different teams and players and people. It's great."
Those who watched saw a lot of Blue Jackets or Blue Jackets hopefuls.
Here's a rundown on how the 'worlds' experience went for each one, along with comments from Zito and Kekalainen:
NHL PLAYERS
Cam Atkinson, United States, forward
What he did:Atkinson picked right up where he left off after the Jackets' disappointing loss to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The veteran right wing's goal-scoring and point production from the final two months of the season continued, with seven goals, four assists, 11 points and two game-winning goals in 10 games to help the U.S. win bronze.
He helped Team USA defeat rival Canada twice, including the final game for the bronze. In the first game against the Canadians, Atkinson decided the game with two shootout goals, and he also scored a game-winner in overtime to beat Latvia.
Atkinson flip-flopped wing positions and lines but remained among the top-six forwards for the duration of the tournament, even playing opposite U.S. captain Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) for a stretch.
According to hockey-ops:
"Off the charts, in all aspects. The one thing with Cam … his on-ice production was wonderful, his defense was great, his work ethic was great, but he was a leader in our room and he was one of the main reasons our team was able to have a modicum of success, because he wouldn't settle. He came over there to play hockey and to win, not to have fun and go on vacation … to play hockey and to win, and he instilled that in his teammates. He was a major leader in our room." - Zito
"He ended up with more than 20 goals again, and the way he scored at the end, if he can keep that going and start where next year where he finished, he'll be in great shape. We never had any doubts about Cam. That's why we signed him to that long-term contract and he'll be a big part of our success next year again. Sometimes you go through slumps, but the good players come out of it, and he came out of it strong. He finished the season on the right note and hopefully continues where he finished." - Kekalainen
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Denmark, forward
Bjorkstrand decided the opportunity to play for his country, in his hometown of Herning, was too good to pass up. Bjorkstrand is a restricted free agent and doesn't have a new contract with the Jackets yet, but still decided to play.
The second-year NHL forward skated on the top line and nearly helped Denmark qualify for the quarterfinal round. The Danes weren't eliminated until their final game, when they were shutout by Jackets' goaltending prospect Elvis Merzlikins in a stinging 1-0 loss to Latvia at Jyske Bank Boxen.
Bjorkstrand finished with three points (one goal, two assists) and a minus-4 plus/minus rating in seven games.
According to hockey-ops:
"He came there a little bit late, so he was fine. No worries there. I know they had a disappointing loss to Latvia, but he was good. It was cool for him to play in his hometown. He continues to evolve, and I think he can evolve into an NHL goal-scorer, like he did in the American league. His skill-set is such that he can potentially be a threat to score 25 or 30 goals." - Zito
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Canada, forward
Prior to being invited to play for the Canadian national team, Dubois had already played the most hockey he'd ever logged in any one season of his career. After becoming the first Blue Jackets rooking in franchise history to play all 82 games in the regular season, Dubois then played all six games against the Capitals in the playoffs.
He played another nine games for Canada for a total of 97 games this season, finishing the tournament with three goals, four assists, seven points and a plus-4 plus/minus rating. Dubois started out playing left wing on the fourth line, but worked his way back into the middle of the ice by the quarterfinal round - centering the third line.
According to hockey-ops:
"He played well. I think he would've liked some more ice time and probably merited it, but I thought it was a real positive experience for him. It [stings] losing like that, so hopefully that's something that's bothering him too, that's going to push him a little bit, but the experience nonetheless is a good one. He was around a lot of great hockey players. You don't get a bigger superstar than Connor McDavid. Learning and being around those guys, being a part of it, I think was a positive." - Zito
"That's what we want to have him get used to. Hopefully we'll play until [May] and even later a year from now and for a few years. It's the goal in our organization to be playing in June and he almost got there this year with the worlds." - Kekalainen
Dean Kukan, Switzerland, defense
What a year it was for Kukan, who went from wondering if his NHL opportunity would ever materialize to earning a one-way contract extension with the Blue Jackets and then helping Switzerland make a surprising run to the gold-medal game in the world championship.
Kukan finished the tournament with a goal, two assists and three points in 10 games, including a power-play goal, and played the left point on the second defense pairing from start to finish. Kukan, who was injured Feb. 18 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and missed all but one of the Jackets' final 23 games, finished the season playing at a similar level to what he showed in 11 games with Columbus. His skating was a big asset this season, for both the Blue Jackets and Swiss, especially coming out of the defensive zone.
According to hockey-ops:
"He played great. 'Kuks' is a guy who needs to evolve and he's starting to do so. And as he takes his significant skill-set and makes some tweaks and modifications to his outlook on the game, he's going to be a solid, good player, because the foundation of his skating just allows him to do things other people can't do." - Zito
"He was solid. He played well this year and that's why he earned the [new] contract. Kukan's a great skater, even by NHL standards for defensemen. He can skate up the ice and move the puck efficiently, and that's what he did. He wasn't nervous at all. It was good to see him finish on a strong note." - Kekalainen
Sonny Milano, United States, forward
He didn't get a lot of ice time, but Milano still finished with a goal, assist and two points in eight games. On the ice, his role was predominantly to be the 13th forward for the U.S., going over the boards only when coach Jeff Blashill could find good spots to fit him into the action. Milano did earn a brief promotion to the fourth line for a game, but veteran center Nick Bonino (Nashville Predators) was a late addition and forced Milano back out of the everyday playing rotation.
Milano finished the tournament with a plus-3 plus/minus rating, but his biggest area of development might've come off the ice, where he could learn from veterans like Kane, Bonino and others about gameday focus and how to work efficiently in practice
According to hockey-ops:
"He got behind the eight-ball early and then kind of battled for his ice time, but when he did get it, I thought he played well. I think the experience for him was great. For example, just seeing Cam and the way he and [Kane] and all those guys apply themselves, and the work ethic, the preparation and the focus, all day, even for the practices, was good." - Zito
Ryan Murray, Canada, defense
After missing 35 games because of a reported back injury this season, Murray accepted the invitation from Hockey Canada officials to play in the world championship. Murray played the left point on the third pairing, finishing the tournament with one assist, a minus-1 plus/minus rating and four penalty minutes.
Like Bjorkstrand, Murray is also a restricted free agent without a new contract yet from the Blue Jackets. Regardless of his role or ice time, the fact Murray went from the playoffs straight to the world championship was a good sign that his health is good heading into the offseason.
According to hockey-ops:
"I thought he was solid. He played well against us. I thought he had a good tournament. We were always going somewhere with our teams, so I didn't get a chance to talk to him much, to see how it was going for him." - Zito
Markus Nutivaara, Finland, defense
The Finns put together an impressive group of forwards for this tournament, with highly-skilled Carolina Hurricanes teammates Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen leading the charge. They were less experienced on the backend, which turned out to be a good thing for Nutivaara, one of Finland's few NHL defensemen.
Nutivaara doesn't get much power-play time in Columbus because he's behind two scoring defensemen in Jones and Zach Werenski, but he made the most of that role with the Finnish team. Nutivaara played left point on the second defense pairing and held a consistent role with the top power-play unit, finishing with three goals, six assists and nine points. That total was tied with U.S. defenseman Charlie McAvoy as the highest among all defensemen in the tournament.
According to hockey-ops:
"He had a good year. That's why we signed him. It's all about roles. It's pretty tough to get ahead of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones to get some power-play time on our team, but on the Finnish team he was the only [NHL] defenseman, really, besides [Julius Honka], and he got all kinds of ice time and responsibility as well. He proved that he can do it, as well. He's gotten some second-unit power-play time with us, as well, but not consistently. It's not a shame to play behind Zach Werenski and Seth Jones." - Kekalainen
"He's a player who, as his comfort level increases, so will his play on the ice. Almost every player's like that. The more confident you are, the better you are, but also, beyond his comfort level is a confidence. He's willing to do more in a certain role and he was also put in that role by the Finns. He needed to step up and play a big role. There wasn't a Seth or a [Werenski] there. So, we were really happy with him." - Zito
PROSPECTS
Vladislav Gavrikov, Russia, defense
If you're looking for a defenseman who's going to fill up the state sheet, Gavrikov isn't really the guy. If you're looking for an old-school defenseman, who's got good size, strength, grit and toughness, now you're talking about Gavrikov - who also helped the Olympic Athletes of Russia win the gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics this past winter.
The 6-foot-3, 214-pound blue-liner had one assist in eight games for Russia during the world championship and played left point on the top defense pairing. He still has a year left on his contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, but the Blue Jackets can bring Gavrikov to the NHL in 2019-20.
According to hockey-ops:
"He's an Olympic gold-medalist and now he's played really well in this tournament. He played a lot against Canada [in the quarterfinals] and he was one of the key guys on their team. He's a defensive defenseman mostly. He can also jump into the rush, but I wouldn't categorize him in the NHL as an offensive defenseman. He's a competitive guy, he's big, he's physical and I think he could play in the NHL right now, but he has one more year [in the KHL] to play." - Kekalainen
Matiss Kivlenieks, Latvia, goalie
After completing his first full season of professional hockey with the Cleveland Monsters, Kivlenieks headed to Denmark as Latvia's third goalie. The 21-year old backstop didn't get into any games during the world championship, but did soak in the experience and watch Merzlikins, who's three years older.
Elvis Merzlikins, Latvia, goalie
Whether it was dazzling saves, impressive stats, flowing hair or fiery disposition, there was a lot to like about Merzlikins during the world championship. Elvis ultimately left the building without a medal around his neck but did leave quite an impression.
Merzlikins, 24, finished the tournament with a 1.50 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and two shutouts, including the 1-0 victory against Denmark to lift Latvia into the quarterfinal round. He only allowed nine goals on 151 shots in the tournament, including three in Latvia's 3-2 loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals - which was nearly a major upset.
Following the tournament, there was talk that Merzlikins might seek to get out of the final year of his contract with HC Lugano in the Swiss league, after he came to Los Angeles following the world championship, but that apparently isn't going to happen. Merzlikins said in a tweet that he will play his final season in Switzerland and then head to North America.
According to hockey-ops:
"Goaltending is a different position. You're going to have to come over here and see how you do with the different style here, the smaller rink and all that, but skill-wise and the way he plays on the international stage, he's not far away. He's going to obviously have to come and prove that he can do it on this side before you can make that determination, but he's got a lot of people talking about him. He's quick, he's agile and he's big. He's also got a great competitiveness about him too." - Kekalainen
"He was great. Even if you just watched on TV, you could see he was great in the net, but he was also a leader and a presence for his team. You could tell that his contributions to their wins went beyond stopping pucks. He kind of willed his team during the games and that speaks a lot to his personality and character. So, I was really happy to see that." - Zito
Alexandre Texier, France, forward
Statistically speaking, it was a frustrating tournament for Texier, who finished with three assists in France's seven games. He also racked up 10 penalty minutes, tied for second-most on his team, and had a minus-4 plus/minus rating. There are clearly some areas the young Frenchman needs to improve, including face-offs, but there were also glimpses during this tournament of the talent that prompted the Blue Jackets to trade up in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft to take Texier 45th overall.
His three-assist game against Austria, for instance, was a thing of beauty. All three assists were primary helpers, including one in which he sent a no-look, tape-to-tape feed behind him through his own skates and the skates of a defender chasing him.
Texier, who won't turn 19 until September, is likely heading back to KalPa of the Finnish league (Liiga) for another season. He could be NHL ready by 2019-20, though, if not sooner.
According to hockey-ops:
"He had a good first year in the Finnish league and this was a continuation of that. He's a good play-maker, he's got a good shot, he sees the ice and he's a creative offensive player and a good passer. To be a good center-iceman, I think he needs to work on face-offs, like any European centerman coming over to this side, but I'm sure he recognizes that as well. Foot speed and the pace of the game over here, that's probably the biggest difference, always, in the NHL as compared to the European leagues. He's just got to keep working on that pace and his skating." - Kekalainen