Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, David Jiricek among standouts at CBJ development camp

After two years without a prospect development camp due to the pandemic, the Blue Jackets brought back the traditional post-draft event this week with 29 players, including five of their seven picks from the draft last week in Montreal.

First round picks Kent Johnson, David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk and Corson Ceulemans headlined the group, which also included 2018 second round pick Kirill Marchenko, 2021 draft picks Guillaume Richard, James Malatesta and Ben Boyd, and players on AHL contracts like Roman Ahcan, Cole Clayton and Owen Sillinger.

Over the course of three days at Chiller North, the players went through on-ice workouts with skating and skills coaches, off-ice workouts and participated in educational sessions on everything from finance to nutrition — including a cooking class Tuesday evening. A smaller group of prospects will reconvene in September for rookie camp and the Traverse City prospects tournament, for which general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has already sketched out a roster.

Here are some of the players who stood out across the three days of development camp.

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Forwards at Blue Jackets development camp

Kent Johnson

From the first puck-handling drill Monday to the final shootout after the scrimmage Wednesday, Johnson looked exactly like the player he's expected to be. He made nearly every drill look easy as he showed off his skill with the puck, and even in the skating drills he couldn't resist tucking the puck in the net after each rep.

In the scrimmage, he scored two goals in the five-on-five period and attempted a lacrosse goal, and then was one of only three players to score in the shootout. It's putting the cart way before the horse to react to line combinations from a development camp scrimmage, but it's worth noting that Johnson played center and seemed to enjoy teaming up with winger Kirill Marchenko.

After playing nine games with the Jackets at the end of last season, Johnson will take part in his first full NHL training camp this fall.

"I've been in the gym, just working on strength and explosiveness," Johnson said. "Trying to hone in on my one-timer a lot."

Kirill Marchenko

Marchenko made an immediate impression Monday in his first practice as a Blue Jacket, and he didn't slow down from there. It was expected that Marchenko would stand out, given that he's played professional hockey for the last three seasons in the KHL, but he lived up to expectations nonetheless.

With smooth hands and a laser-quick release on his shot — plus an exuberant willingness to be creative and try just about anything — Marchenko has the makings of a serious contributor in Columbus this year, and a new fan favorite with his gregarious personality.

After signing his entry-level contract in May, Marchenko will be in Traverse City before coming to training camp this fall and is widely expected to be in the opening night lineup.

"I was playing a lot with Marchenko," Johnson said. "Obviously, he's a great character and it's fun to get to know him and kinda help him transition."

James Malatesta

Malatesta first caught attention with his play in Traverse City last year, and the 2021 fifth round pick carried that into his first full development camp. Known for his high motor and willingness to play with a physical edge, he landed some of the heaviest hits of camp and did everything at high pace.

Still just 19, Malatesta will return to the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts for his final season of junior hockey, but he'll make a second appearance in Traverse City before going back to junior.

Defensemen at Blue Jackets development camp

David Jiricek

Let's let James Fisher, who was selected 197 picks after Jiricek in this year's draft, sum up the impression Jiricek left at development camp, which ended with him signing his entry-level contract Wednesday.

"Watching that first practice, Jiricek in the one-on-one drill, he was poking every pass before it could get to the guy," Fisher said. "Such an active stick. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a sixth overall pick right there.’ "

Jiricek's height at 6-3 stands out, and he knows how to use it. He's not overly physical, but his body awareness when defending is advanced for his age and his stick is always in motion to cut off passing lanes. In the scrimmage, he showed off his skating with some fluid rushes up the ice, and his hands are a strong asset as well.

In short, just as Fisher said, Jiricek looked like a sixth overall pick. There's a rawness to his game, perhaps a result of his still-lean frame, but his high ceiling was evident all week and he looks like he'll be a cornerstone in Columbus long-term.

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Denton Mateychuk

Mateychuk joined Jiricek, his fellow 2022 first-round pick, in signing his entry-level contract at the end of camp.

In contrast to Jiricek's long, lean frame, Mateychuk's stocky build made it clear why Kekalainen was insistent at the draft that while Mateychuk may be 5-11, he's not a small player. And the influence of his mother Keela, a power skating coach, was obvious in how Mateychuk breezed through skating drills that left other players struggling.

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"He’s just a really smooth skater, smooth with the puck," Ceulemans said. "Always makes smart decisions. Doesn’t try and force anything. I think he’s just really mature and really smart for his age."

The individual drill format of camp didn't give Mateychuk much of an opportunity to show off the relentless activation and creativity he's known for, but he took his chances when he had them in the scrimmage. His shot, while lacking a degree of accuracy, was surprisingly heavy and looked to be more of weapon than advertised before the draft.

Corson Ceulemans

Ceulemans flies somewhat under the radar as a Columbus prospect, as evidenced when multiple media outlets at this year's draft said the Jackets hadn't drafted a defenseman in the top two rounds since 2016. Ceulemans was the No. 25 overall pick last year.

But this week, the Wisconsin right-shot defenseman showed the attributes that made him a first-round selection. He's a smooth skater, often leading the pack in the skating sessions, and has a soft touch with the puck on his stick. And in the defensive drills, his sound body positioning was noticeable — he was one of the better man-on-man defenders throughout the week.

Ceulemans is headed back to Wisconsin for his sophomore season, where he hopes things go better than last year's 10-24-3 record. With 22 points in 34 games, Ceulemans tied for the team lead in scoring.

"Last year, even though we weren’t very good, I still had a solid season," Ceulemans said. "I think this year, just rounding out my game. Playing in all areas, trying to get my plus-minus even or plus this year. Just playing better all around, focusing more on the defensive end will be good."

Guillaume Richard

Fresh from being named Providence's most valuable freshman last season, Richard's detailed, effective defensive game was on display all week. Playing in the same group as Jiricek and Mateychuk, the 2021 fourth round pick naturally was a bit under the radar compared to his teammates.

But Richard regularly made smart plays to stop offensive sequences before they began and showed more ability in offensive transition than he's had in the past. Word is the Jackets are big fans of Richard, especially as a fourth-round selection, and it's easy to see why.

Goaltenders at Blue Jackets development camp

Jet Greaves

Greaves came into the week expected to be the top goalie in camp, and he was. Particularly on the first day, he frustrated just about every forward in his group — including the likes of Johnson and Marchenko — as he robbed them on nearly every drill. He was solid in net throughout the three days and never seemed to allow a soft goal, even when his forwards would've liked him to.

After splitting last year between the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL and the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL, Greaves will likely share the net in Cleveland this year with Daniil Tarasov.

Pavel Cajan

Entering the week as a player invited to fill out the roster — Greaves was the only healthy goalie in the system eligible for development camp — Cajan impressed the Columbus front office enough to earn a two-year contract with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters after just the first two days of camp.

The 6-2 Czech netminder came to Columbus from the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, where he went 21-18-4 with a 3.61 goals against average and a .901 save percentage in his lone season of North American junior hockey.

bjohnson@dispatch.com

@baileyajohnson_

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Johnson, Marchenko, Jiricek stand out at Blue Jackets development camp