Last season, as Youngstown took home the USHL's Clark Cup championship, Strathmann put up a 3-4-7 line in nine playoff games on top of a 38-point regular season (56 games played).
Also representing the Blue Jackets on the ice with that title-winning squad were draft picks William Whitelaw and James Fisher.
“Winning it with those guys and the rest of my team, it was probably the best feeling that I have ever had," he said. "You go through the ups and downs all season, and to come out on top was definitely a cool feeling.”
With the many connections Youngstown has with the Blue Jackets this season, it seems like Strathmann knows what the organization wants from him. He said that he stays connected with the development staff, and CBJ representatives come out to see him monthly.
“I think for this season it's just kind of maturing and getting ready for that next level and just keep playing the way I am," he said of his goals. "I think defense is the biggest thing for me right now, keep defending hard, and keep finding ways to get better on the back end and defending from the net out."
The Waukegan, Ill., native is committed play at college hockey power North Dakota next season, and he said there wasn’t any other place in his mind when it came time to decide.
“I visited and a bunch of the guys were there, and I think for me, it started with the culture," he said. "They were very welcoming, and it was very cool to go there and just feel part of the team there.
“Obviously, the coaches are second to none. I love them. And then you could talk about the facilities all day, I mean, they have a state-of-the-art weight room, the rink, they fill it, it's like 12,000 every night. So, you could go on all day about it.”
For more on Strathmann, including his introduction to hockey all the way to what type of music he listens to, check out the full Pipeline Podcast interview with Dylan Tyrer.
Monsters Still in First Place
The Cleveland Monsters, the top farm team of the Blue Jackets, remain in first place in the AHL’s North Division, but suddenly there’s a team right on the Monsters’ tail.
Syracuse has won four straight games to cut Cleveland’s lead in the North to just two points, though the Monsters’ mark of 24-11-1-1 is still plenty impressive. And if home cooking is a good thing for Cleveland, then the Monsters are in luck, as the team started a 10-game homestand this past weekend at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland won the first game against Lehigh Valley on Friday night, taking a 4-2 decision, before falling by a 4-3 count to the Phantoms on Saturday night.
In the series opener, James Malatesta played the hero, as the rookie scored twice and added an assist in the victory. It was the third multigoal game of the year for the forward who has a 10-7-17 line in 33 contests this year. Luca Del Bel Belluz and Jake Christiansen each added a goal and an assist apiece, while Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots in his 18th win of the season.
Cleveland looked like it was going to keep the good vibes going in the Saturday game, but Lehigh Valley scored twice in the third period to overturn a deficit and take the 4-3 final. Brendan Gaunce had two goals, new dad Carson Meyer had a goal and an assist and David Jiricek had three helpers in his cameo down in Cleveland, but the Phantoms tied and won the game in the third.
The Monsters continue the homestand tonight when they host Toronto, then Hartford comes to town for games Friday and Saturday night.
Prospect Notes
- Blue Jackets 2023 fourth-round pick Luca Pinelli continues to rack up goals in the OHL, potting his career-high 30th of the season Sunday vs. Owen sound. Pinelli, who has nine goals in the last 13 games, is placed third in the OHL in goals on the season. In all, he has a 30-15-45 line in 41 games on the year.
- Also in the OHL, Blue Jackets goaltender signee Nolan Lalonde keeps racking up wins. The 19-year-old netminder, who has been to camp the past two seasons with the Jackets and earned a contract after a strong camp in 2022, has won his last 10 decisions with a loaded Saginaw team, posting a 2.77 GAA in that span. He posted a season-best 27 saves in a win Sunday vs. Kingston.
- Fresh off winning gold with Team USA at the World Juniors, 2023 second-round pick Gavin Brindley has stayed hot since his return with the University of Michigan. He’s currently on a four-game point streak with a 5-4-9 line in that time, including a four-goal game Jan. 12 vs. Stonehill. Brindley did miss the Wolverines’ last game, though, Saturday vs. Michigan State.
- Staying in the college ranks, it was a big week for Aidan Hreschuk, as the 2021 third-round pick of Carolina acquired in a trade was named the Hockey East defensive player of the week. The junior defenseman at Boston College had a goal and four assists in a two-game sweep this past weekend of Merrimack, with the goal his first of the season. Hreschuk and the Eagles now face a one of the most interesting college series in recent memory this weekend, as No. 1 Boston College takes on No. 2 Boston College in the first-ever 1 vs. 2 matchup in the history of the Commonwealth Avenue rivalry.
Emily Sculli contributed to this report.
