7 days until CBJ opening night: Meet the new faces

There is turnover on an NHL roster every year, but this season for the Blue Jackets, that narrative is taken to a new level.
With Columbus having lost such veteran players as Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones and David Savard, among others, over the past year, there are plenty of new faces to get to know as the franchise enters a new era of Blue Jackets hockey.
Here are seven players to watch that are new additions this year -- plus a bonus Blue Jacket to keep an eye on.

LHD Jake Bean (No. 22, 6-1, 186, 1-11-12 in 42 games last year with Carolina): Acquired via a second-round pick obtained in the trade of Jones, Bean was one of two pieces brought in to rebuild the CBJ blue line. The 23-year-old Alberta native was a highly touted junior player who went in the first round (No. 13 overall) to the Hurricanes in 2016, then became a full-time NHLer for the first time a season ago.
While Bean probably didn't burst onto the scene quite as quickly as some had expected given his draft status, he was named the AHL's top defenseman two seasons ago and showed promise a year ago with the Hurricanes. He's thought to be someone who can run a power play down the road, but in the meantime, he's someone the Blue Jackets think will be a top-four blueliner this season.
"I think I am a good two-way defenseman," he said. "I think a lot of the stuff I'm good at is some of the boring stuff. I feel like I can play against the other teams' top lines and play under control and make a good first pass, and then when I'm in the offensive zone, I feel like I can be pretty dynamic."
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RHD Adam Boqvist (No. 27, 5-11, 179, 2-14-16 in 35 games last year with Chicago): The other part of the haul for Jones that will go right into the blue line -- think of Bean and Boqvist as B Squared -- Boqvist comes with high hopes attached. He has a great pedigree, having been chosen eighth overall in the 2018 draft, and the Swedish defenseman already has two seasons of NHL games under his belt at age 21.
Much like Bean, Boqvist is expected to fill a top-four role for Columbus this year and also likely will run one of the power-play units. One of just two right-hand-shot defensemen on the team, Boqvist is believed to have high-end offensive skill and is thought by many to be someone who can truly be a star down the road.
"He's got a lot of talent with the puck," head coach Brad Larsen said. "He skates well, he moves well, but even in that position playing top-four minutes, you are going to be playing against high-end guys, so you have to be able to get on the other side of the puck, too. I think that's something he wants to work on … but there's some ability there. You can see it."
W Yegor Chinakhov (No. 59, 6-0, 178, 10-7-17 in 32 games last year with Avangard Omsk, KHL):The Blue Jackets' 2020 first-round pick (21st overall) seems to need little introduction, as the Russian forward has been one of the star attractions of training camp. And why not, as the 20-year-old winger is coming a season in which he won the Alexei Cherepanov Award, given to the KHL's top rookie, as well as the Gagarin Cup as his Avangard Omsk team went all the way to the league title.
Chinakhov wasted little time getting used to North American hockey when he arrived this fall, going to the Traverse City prospects tournament and pumping in six goals in three games. His shot, simply put, is elite, already drawing comparisons to some of the best, but it's his all-around game that has impressed Larsen up to this point, and Chinakhov very well might start the season with the Blue Jackets in a top-nine and a power-play role.
"He's a sharp player," Larsen said. "He thinks the game really well. Watching him very closely, he's got -- it's more than just a shot. ... I think if they take his shot away, he's smart enough to pass. He has the ability to make a play. But it's the other stuff that he's doing that I really like for a young man who's kind of in his first taste coming over here, how he's played in the games and on the smaller ice.
"He's picking up what we're trying to do, and that builds trust right away. He's a guy that early on with the way I'm watching him play and how he's grasping what we're doing and processing and applying -- that's the sequence you're looking for, and he's applying what we're doing and doing a really good job of that."
W Gregory Hofmann (No. 15, 6-0, 175, 18-23-41 in 36 games last year with EV Zug, Switzerland):Columbus took what was essentially a flyer on Hofmann this past winter when they flipped a seventh-round pick to Carolina for a player the Canes took in the fourth round of the 2011 draft but who never made the full-time trip to play in North America until now.
Hofmann comes over from Europe as a decorated goal scorer at age 28, as he has posted 72-67-139 line in 136 games over the past three years (with National League-leading 30 goals in 2018-19) in his native Switzerland. He's also been a dynamic player at the international level, including scoring six goals in eight games this summer at the World Championships. Speed and an excellent shot seem to be the hallmarks of his game.
"He's a skater," Larsen said. "He can move. He's good with the puck. He can move and he's a worker, too. It looks like he's playing both ends of the ice there as far as his skating. You like to see that. You can see him working throughout the shift, not just part of it."
C Sean Kuraly (No. 7, 6-2, 213, 4-5-9 in 47 games last year with Boston):The hometown kid returns, as when Kuraly reached unrestricted free agency, he wanted to come back to the city he grew up in and the Blue Jackets were happy to have him. The Dublin native starred with the AAA Blue Jackets as a kid and then Miami University before making it in Boston, where he's played 270 games over the past five seasons.
He's been known to score a bit -- just as the Jackets, who saw him score a pivotal goal during a playoff series in Columbus in 2019 -- but with a 24-44-68 line in his NHL career, it's safe to say he's more of a defensive-minded forward at age 28. But he provides energy, speed and a little snarl, and Kuraly will be expected to be a team leader as well as a solid, responsible forward now that he's inked a four-year deal.
"It's all been exciting, it's all been great," Kuraly said. "The welcome has been amazing. I'm super excited, and now I have a job to do, and I'm ready to turn the page on the off-ice stuff and go on the ice and play hockey. That's what I'm here for. I'm here to be part of this team and I'm here to help this team win."
C Cole Sillinger (No. 34, 6-0, 201, 24-22-46 in 31 games last year with Sioux Falls, USHL): Along with Chinakhov, Sillinger has been one of the hottest names in camp simply because the two rookies represent what should be a very exciting future for the Blue Jackets. Just 18 years old, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 draft has shown in camp he has the talent to stick with Columbus this year.
Whether Sillinger will do so remains to be seen -- he can be returned to junior hockey in Canada or play with Cleveland, both of which are attractive options for his development curve -- but the son of former CBJ forward Mike Sillinger has shown he very well just might belong in Columbus this year. He's been a high-level scorer in juniors thanks to what was thought to be one of the best shots in the 2021 draft, but Sillinger is also lauded for his all-around game and hockey smarts.
"In the short time that I've seen him here, he has a lot of tremendous pro habits," Larsen said. "He communicates well. He was changing on time instead of extending shifts. He was doing a good job of protecting pucks. He always wants the puck, he was supporting the puck. Those are things you spend years trying to teach guys, and he seems to have those qualities already but he's still young."
RW Jakub Voracek (No. 93, 6-2, 214, 9-34-43 in 53 games last year with Philadelphia): Voracek needs little introduction, you wouldn't think, considering the was the team's first-round draft pick when the event was held in Columbus in 2007. But it's been a decade since the 32-year-old Czech forward last played for the Blue Jackets, and in the intervening 10 years Voracek has become one of the NHL's best playmakers.
Now back with the Blue Jackets, Voracek seemingly was acquired to give someone to Patrik Laine to play off of, and early returns have been encouraging, particularly on the power play where the two's chemistry already seems apparent. It's clear the two will play on a line to start the season, with the hope that matching one of the league's top passers and one of its top shooters will lead to a duo made in heaven.
"If you watch him, he wants to win," Larsen said. "I'm still getting to know Jake as is everybody in the organization with our players and coaches, but he's had a good camp for me in what he's brought as far as his energy and his work ethic in practice and carrying right over into the preseason here."
Bonus: C/W Justin Danforth (No. 17, 5-9, 180, 23-32-55 in 58 games with Vityaz, KHL): OK, we needed seven to stick with the theme of the countdown, but there is an eighth newbie to keep an eye on. Danforth was signed from Europe after three straight excellent seasons, two in Finland (where he was league MVP in 2019-20) and the last in the KHL. He's a two-way center/wing with the confidence to try to make things happen offensively.
"You can tell he's an energy guy," Larsen said. "He works extremely hard out there. The more versatile he can be, the better chance you have of making the team and the opening day roster. … I don't think he's wide-eyed or awestruck. He's been quiet, reserved, just gone about his business, which is totally fine by me. He's putting in the effort. He took the long road to get here, and there's a lot to be said about that."