A 2024 second-round pick, Gardner was 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.
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 added a 3-5-8 line in 17 postseason games including a 4OT winner in Game 4 of the championship series as Tappara won the Liiga championship, Keskinen's second title with the squad.
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 won a playoff series for the third straight season, but the Monsters fell by a 3-2 margin in the AHL North Division final to Toronto. Cleveland finished third in the AHL North this season and downed second-seeded Syracuse in four games in the opening series before falling to Toronto.
For more on the team's playoff run, you can follow along here.
The Monsters made 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.
