The Columbus Blue Jackets’ 2023-24 season did not turn out how they had hoped. Their 66-point 27-43-12 season put them in last place in the Metropolitan Division and 29th overall. The team was not able to break its four-season playoff drought, but this season showed some improvement compared to previous seasons.
While they did not make the playoffs, multiple young guns continued to sharpen their skills as players. In this post, Here, we’ll review a few of these young players who are looking to become pivotal pieces for the Blue Jackets in the future.
Kirill Marchenko
Kirill Marchenko, the 23-year-old winger from Barnaul, Russia, continued to prove that he deserves a place on the main roster this season, as he finished the season with a team-leading 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 in 78 games, breaking his personal goal record. Marchenko became quite familiar with creating new records, as he also set a new career high in assists and previously broke the Blue Jackets’ franchise record of the most goals by a rookie.
While he lead the team in goals, he still had his goalless streaks. He started the first seven games with no goals and had a nine-game goalless streak between February and March. He was able to double his shooting percentage from his rookie season and was only second behind Zach Werenski in shots. So, if Marchenko wants to keep his momentum up from the past two seasons and continue to improve, he needs to make sure he takes every opportunity that comes up.
Dmitri Voronkov
Dmitri Voronkov, the 23-year-old winger from Angarsk, Russia, had a fantastic rookie season, ending his season with 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points in 75 games. He was fifth in the league for goals scored by a rookie. Voronkov also ended third in goals for the team, behind only Marchenko and Boone Jenner.
Related: Prospect Dmitri Voronkov Becoming a Beast for the Blue Jackets
Voronkov had a great season in regards to scoring and getting points. For the next season, he needs to work on his defense. Being a rookie, or just a player in general, who can pass and shoot well is a great thing, but being able to flip the switch and play defense is also necessary to keep opposing teams from scoring.
Yegor Chinakhov
Yegor Chinakhov had his best season with the Blue Jackets, despite suffering multiple injuries. The 23-year-old winger from Omsk, Russia, ended the season with 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points in 53 games after signing a one-year $800,000 contract extension in April, 2023.
Of the multiple injuries Chinakhov sustained one caused him to miss the start of the season. After being placed on injured reserve for a back strain at the beginning of October and missing two weeks, he was loaned to the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters. Chinakhov officially made his season debut for the Blue Jackets on Nov. 4, 2023, when they played the Washington Capitals.
Chinakhov suffered a season-ending upper-body injury in March after exiting a game against the Ottawa Senators. Overall, he was able to showcase his offensive skills throughout the season, but was just unfortunately bit by the injury bug multiple times.
Kent Johnson
Kent Johnson spent most of his season with the Blue Jackets, but had a small stint with the Monsters in November, 2023. The 21-year-old center from Port Moody, British Columbia had a shorter season than expected due to injury, finishing with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 42 games. His season came to an end during a game against the New York Rangers on Feb. 28 after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder. This injury seems to really be hitting the Blue Jackets as Werenski, Justin Danforth, and Jake Bean all suffered the same injury in the 2022-23 season.
Right now, Johnson’s main goal is to remain healthy and recover. His recovery timeline looks to be around the start of the next season, which can be difficult after a summer full of recovery after a serious injury. After he regains his strength, his next goal is to play confident offensive hockey, which we know he is capable of doing.
Cole Sillinger
2023-24 was a rather good season for Cole Sillinger. The 21-year-old center from Regina, Saskatchewan set a career-high in points this season after finishing the season with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 point in 77 games. This season was a bit of a rebound season for Sillinger after having a rather disappointing sophomore campaign where he recorded only 11 points in 64 games.
Sillinger’s main focus for the next season is to keep that momentum going. That momentum, along with the NHL experience, he has been able to get at a young age will help with his continued growth as a player and as a part of the team.
Adam Fantilli
Adam Fantilli did not have the rookie season he was expecting. The 19-year-old center from Nobleton, Ontario, was only able to play a little over half of his rookie season before suffering a serious injury. On Jan. 28, Fantilli suffered a calf laceration after a check from Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann. He was originally supposed to be out for eight weeks, but ended up staying out for the rest of the season.
Currently, Fantilli needs to focus on his recovery, whatever that looks like for him. Once he returns to the ice, he just needs to continue building his skill and experience in the NHL. Recovery time and continued practice is everything Fantilli needs right now as he learns the ropes of the NHL.
The Blue Jackets have an impressively-large prospect pool full of talented young players wanting to make their marks. Time will tell how these young guns’ careers will go, as they gain more experience playing in the league, but it will definitely be interesting to see as it unfolds right in front of our eyes.
