SvoNotes: Olympics will still have some CBJ flavor

The NHL announced in December that with all the complications related to the surge of COVID cases around the world and its locker rooms, its players would be unable to take part in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
But there are still plenty of names with Blue Jackets ties that will be taking part in the tournament that begins Feb. 9. And the first of those to be confirmed came today when Slovakia announced that Blue Jackets draft pick Samuel Knazko, a veteran of their international teams at age 19, has been chosen for its squad that will take part in the Winter Games.

A third-round pick of the Jackets in the 2020 NHL Draft, Knazko was the captain of the Slovak team at each of the past two World Junior Championships and also played a key role on the senior national team at the World Championships last May.
The defenseman known for having solid offensive abilities and play-driving capabilities has had a busy year. Knazko began the season with TPS in Finland but played mostly for its U-20 team, notching a 4-10-14 line in 15 games, before coming to North America to join Seattle of the WHL. His international commitments have kept him from making a big impact yet with the Thunderbirds, but he does have a goal and two assists in eight games.
At the end of the day, he likely won't be the only Blue Jackets prospect to take part in the Olympics. A pair of 21-year-old Russian draft picks, Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, have worn the Russian sweater in the past and have been invited to the country's training camp. Though they still have to survive final cuts, they're thought to be among the top young players in Russia and could make it through to the Olympics.
And then there's Kent Johnson, the highly touted offensive force that could be selected for Team Canada now that the NHLers are out. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft and one of the NCAA's top scorers at the University of Michigan, Johnson could be among the collegians chosen to wear the maple leaf sweater when the final roster is released in the coming days.
Among other ties, former CBJ forward Mikhail Grigorenko also was invited to Russia's camp, while 2013 first-round pick Marko Dano also made the Slovak team and former CBJ forward Gregory Hofmann has been chosen for the Switzerland entry.
There are also plenty of Columbus ties on the women's side as well as three former Ohio State players and one current Buckeye have been selected thus far. Jincy Dunne, a defenseman who skated for the Buckeyes and is the sister of CBJ center Joshua Dunne, has been chosen for Team USA, while former OSU forwards Natalie Spooner and Emma Maltais are on the Canadian squad. Meanwhile, current OSU goalie Andrea Brandli has been chosen for the Swiss team that will compete.

Peeke Proud of Home

There are sixteen players in NHL history who have been born in the state of Florida.
It' s a club with a fair number of CBJ ties. Dan Hinote was once an assistant coach for the team, while Blake Geoffrion worked in the front office for a number of years.
But just one of those players has put on a Blue Jackets sweater in Andrew Peeke. The defenseman from Parkland is part of a growing group of Sunshine Staters who are working their way to the NHL, a club that now includes star brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes as well as such notable names as Shayne Gostisbehere, Jacob Chychrun and Garnet Hathaway.
Some come from hockey families that just happened to move south. Others, like Peeke, fell in love with the game because of the establishment of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. But there's also no doubt the sport is growing in a place that's known a lot more for sunshine and tropical storms than snow and ice.
It's also a point of pride for those who have made it like Peeke, who grew up just minutes from FLA Live Arena and went to plenty of Panthers games with his father, Cliff, and the rest of his family as a kid.

"It's really special for me," Peeke said about his return home this past weekend to play the Panthers. "Without this team, this building, being so close to my home, I don't know where I'd be right now in terms of a hockey perspective, so this team will always hold a place in my heart. Just being a kid from Florida, it's not necessarily the ideal path to find your way to the NHL, but I'm thankful for being from here and I take pride in that."
And just like we have seen the explosion in the interest in the sport of hockey in Columbus over the years thanks to the NHL team, the same thing appears to be happening in Florida. That's especially true in the youth ranks, as central Ohio and Florida never used to be places where high-level hockey players were born and developed, something that has changed in recent years.
Peeke did have to leave his home state eventually to play prep school hockey in Connecticut, then went to the USHL and eventually college hockey at Notre Dame. But his hope is that as he sees more and more youngsters taking to the game, it will become commonplace for players from the state of Florida to make it to the highest level.
"I just remember from the time growing up, the rinks weren't necessarily as packed," Peeke said. "The rinks weren't necessarily as packed. There weren't as many kids playing hockey or taking an interest in it. Now when I'm here over the summer, I go to the rink and skate and it's completely different.
"The impact the Panthers and the Lightning have had in the state of Florida in terms of hockey, kids love hockey now. It's growing so big, and I take pride in that along with a couple of other guys that are doing really well in the professional ranks."

There is certainly a lot of pride in Peeke, too, as evidenced by the huge cheering section he had pregame and during the game. About 70 friends and family, many decked out in jerseys he's worn throughout his career, were in attendance, and Peeke tossed a warmups puck to his cheering section pregame as well.
While the game itself didn't go the way he would have wanted, it's still always a memorable time when he's able to go home and play in the arena he grew up in.

Nash Countdown

If you haven't noticed, on social media, we're counting down the days until the March 5 jersey retirement ceremony for Rick Nash, highlighting memorable moments each day from Nash's illustrious career with the team.
Yesterday was a special anniversary, though, as 14 years prior No. 61 scored what still remains known as "The Goal" in Blue Jackets history. His weaving, inside-out tally to score the game-winning goal on Jan. 17, 2008, at Arizona -- deking two defensemen in succession before going around the goalie and sliding the puck into the open net -- remains one of the indelible images in CBJ history.

All these years later it remains one of the more improbable goals of the past 20 years in the NHL, a perfect mix of skill, daring and little luck. I still remember watching the game live and couldn't believe what I had seen -- more than a decade later, it remains the same.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 18, 2009: Jason Williams scores the shootout-winning goal to cap a wild 6-5 victory at Vancouver. The score was tied 1-1 after a period, 3-3 after two and 5-5 at the end of regulation and overtime.
Jan. 18, 2020: Elvis Merzlikins makes 41 saves in a 5-0 victory over New Jersey at Nationwide Arena, earning his third shutout in eight days.
Jan. 18, 2021: Oliver Bjorkstrand notched a Gordie Howe hat trick and Zach Werenski dropped the gloves with childhood friend Dylan Larkin in a 3-2 CBJ win at Detroit.