It feels like Blue Jackets defenseman Nick Blankenburg has been around for a while, but in fact, last season was his first full professional campaign.
Signed out of the University of Michigan in April 2022, the now 25-year-old Blankenburg has quickly become a fan favorite for the fearlessness in his game and looks to emerge through a crowded corps of defenders to cement a spot on the opening night roster.
Blankenburg missed time last year with a variety of injuries, including a broken ankle and high ankle sprain suffered in October and reaggravated late in the season. In all, he played 36 games a season ago, posting a 4-10-14 line, after debuting with seven games in the spring of 2022.
During the opening week of training camp, Blankenburg talked to BlueJackets.com about the ups and downs of a season ago and how he hopes to approach the upcoming season. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
To start off, from a hockey standpoint, how would you describe last season? There were some ups, some downs, and it was your first pro season. What did you think about it?
“The two words that come to mind would be learning experience. Obviously coming into the league and after playing seven games the year before, there’s a lot of expectations, and you expect to take that next jump. But through a couple of injuries and a difficult season, I think I can step back through the summer and look back at what last year taught me in dealing with an injury, going through a tough season with the group of guys that we had. I think just trying to learn throughout the highs and lows and try to stay even keel throughout the season.
“I think another thing for me was trying not to put my worth in only hockey. At the end of the day, it’s a game that we play and obviously it’s a game that we love and something we’ve been doing for a long time, but I like to think I’m not just a hockey player. It’s something that I do; it’s not who I am. Throughout the year, it’s a lot of hockey, so I guess trying to find stuff to do away from the rink to take my mind away from hockey is something that I try to do.
"This year I might try to learn to play guitar. I know (Adam) Fantilli and I were talking about that. (Jake Bean) is a really good guitar player, so something like that. Or maybe a cooking class. I was talking to (Vancouver defenseman) Quinn Hughes, I think he wants to take a dance class. I don’t know about that, but just something to get my mind away from the game when I go home.”
That is interesting. I think there are some players who could think about hockey 24/7, but there is something to be said for having something to take your mind off it a little bit.
“I think for me, in college, you have a strict routine and you’re busy from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then you hang out the rest of the day. Here, it’s like I get home from the rink – or when I'm hurt, I’m only at the rink two to three hours – and I need to try to find something to do other than just sitting on the couch or watching a movie or taking a nap. It’s obviously more difficult when you’re hurt and can’t really walk, but last year was a big learning experience for me in dealing with what I went through last year.”
You were in college for eight years, right?
“(Laughs) Four years.”
OK, four years. It was a while, though. Were there things in college, classes or anything, that piqued your interest away from the rink?
“I was more into entrepreneurial stuff and business, so I took a few of those classes, which was cool. Just go on the side and try to create your own business with your buddies, like a fake model, which I always thought was cool with a group of guys. There were definitely some interesting classes I took. My major was international studies. I think now as I’m a little bit older, if I could go back, I think I’d like to do psychology. I started to realize I want to help people with whatever I’m doing. If that’s through hockey and being a good teammate, (great); if hockey ends tomorrow, I want to be able to do something where I can help people and make an impact. I think psychology would be pretty cool. In hockey, you have to be strong mentally, so I think that would have been cool to do something (in that realm).
"I’m only 25. That’s young, I like to think, so obviously I still have a lot of time. I know the NHLPA just came out with something, Boone (Jenner) was showing me, it’s an app where they have classes and stuff you can take online. Obviously I have a lot of connections at Michigan, too, so I just think it would be cool to do something away from the rink to keep me busy.”
On the ice, you said last year was a learning experience. I think people forget that not only you were banged up, it was also your first full season. Do you feel more prepared now than you would have been a year ago because you’ve gone through it?
“I think expectations going into last year were a lot different than what happened, but injuries are part of the game. I’ve never really had an injury before that took me out of the game for more than a week or two, so that was definitely new to me. I think just trying to learn and navigate through that. Being at the pro level, you spend a lot of time alone. Just trying to become my own best friend at this point, you know what I mean? I think that’s been a big thing for me is really trying to get to know myself and how I am as a person. I feel like that’s been a big difference for me over the last year is taking care of myself mentally and physically. With so much time being alone, there’s a lot of things you’re thinking about, and trying to manage those expectations and manage what is going on at the rink and struggles that you’re going through. That was a big thing for me was trying to become my own best friend, you know?”
There are a lot of defensemen in camp – they brought in (Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson), guys are getting healthy from last year. If you look around the room, there’s probably 10-12 defensemen who played NHL minutes last year. Do you look at that as a challenge, considering you probably think you deserve a spot?
“I think competition is a good thing. Obviously that’s good that they brought those guys in; those guys are going to have a big impact on the team. The quote I learned this summer is, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ It’s a good thing to have that.”
You did say that when you were playing in the Double Bogey Invitational a few weeks ago.
“Exactly. I like to think when you’re golfing, a lot of things can relate to hockey, too. I think it’s good that there’s competition here, and it’s exciting to have those older guys who have been there and done that to look up to. A guy like (Erik) Gudbranson, who came in here last year, I’ve become close with him, and obviously guys like Provy and Sevy, to have those guys here, it’s exciting. Competition is a good thing. It’s always exciting and it pushes me to get better every day.”
