A 2024 second-round pick, Gardner has been nominated for the WHL's Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy for a third consecutive season. The award is given annually to the WHL’s Humanitarian of the Year. Gardner posted a .907 save percentage in 11 playoff games with Saskatoon before being assigned to Cleveland, where he stopped all 10 shots against in his AHL postseason debut Sunday.
The 14th overall pick in the 2025 draft had a strong freshman season with the Nittany Lions, as the defenseman posted an 11-15-26 line in 35 games. Smith finished fourth among NCAA defensemen in goals and tied for first among freshman blueliners in points this season.
A 2023 seventh-round pick, Keskinen finished the regular season with a 20-17-37 line in 49 games, including 14 goals and 27 points in his last 26 games. He has added a 1-4-5 line in 11 postseason games, as Tappara downed Tampere-based rival Ilves in the Liiga semifinals and advanced to take on KooKoo in the final, with KooKoo winning Game 1.
Dylan Tyrer introduces you to the next generation of Columbus Blue Jackets on the Pipeline Podcast. This podcast features interviews with upcoming prospects, their coaches, and more.
The AHL affiliate of the Blue Jackets has reached playoff time! The Monsters secured a first-round bye by finishing third in the AHL North and then dispatched Syracuse by a 3-1 margin in the division semifinal. Cleveland will now host either Toronto or Laval in the round of eight, with the series beginning May 14 at home.
For more on the status of the team's playoff run, you can follow along here.
The Monsters are in the playoffs for the third straight season under head coach Trent Vogelhuber, and Luca Del Bel Belluz led the team in scoring this year as the AHL All-Star posted a 22-36-58 line in 55 games. Mikael Pyyhtiä had 16 multipoint games and added 21-28-49 in 59 games. Luca Pinelli finished seventh among AHL rookies with 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) and Jack Williams was second among AHL rookies with six game-winning goals. With a plus-20 rating, Guillaume Richard finished third among first-year players in the league.
