PROSPECT PULSE: Eyeing up the next wave of potential rookies

The Blue Jackets started this season as the youngest team in the NHL, per average age.
That age increased thanks largely to three deals to add veterans at the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26, but the Jackets were still among the youngest teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Columbus will depend on those young players showing progress, as a measure of internal improvement, but there will also be a fresh crop of rookies chipping in next season. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen and coach John Tortorella mentioned that Thursday during their end-of-season press conferences.
"Do we settle with this group?" Tortorella said, when asked if external additions needed to be made. "No, we're always going to try and improve. I see some kids within our organization, and that's a very important way of improving, is staying within your organization and developing and finding roles with this team next year. That's how you stay competitive in the league is within your organization. It's not always trying to grab a free agent. It's developing your own people."

The Blue Jackets have a number of offseason contractual decisions ahead, including eight unrestricted free agents that includes defenseman Jack Johnson, forward Matt Calvert and all three deadline acquisitions, but there's no guarantee any will be back.
There's also no guarantee established NHL players will replace them all. It's similar to last offseason, which was highlighted by the blockbuster acquisition of Artemi Panarin but also carved out roles for Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sonny Milano, Oliver Bjorkstrand and others.
"We're always looking to upgrade one way or the other," Kekalainen said. "I think we're going to get better again from inside. We're always looking for every opportunity to make our team better, so it's going to be the same approach."
That means there will likely be a spot or two up for grabs in training camp, with a group of prospects competing in training camp to begin their NHL careers. Here's an early look at a few options, who were mentioned by either Tortorella or Kekalainen on Thursday:
Vitaly Abramov, RW, Gatineau/Victoriaville (QMJHL)
Abramov, a third-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2016 (No. 65 overall), went into training camp hoping to make the Jackets' NHL roster. He didn't make a strong impression and went back for a third season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Despite being traded from Gatineau to the Victoriaville Tigres just 16 games into the season, Abramov put up nearly identical stats from last season, when he was named the MVP of the league with 104 points (46 goals, 58 assists) in 66 games.
Abramov, listed at 5-foot-9, 172 pounds, had another 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) in 56 games and was more productive in the playoffs with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 13 games.
Abramov was a finalist for the QMJHL's MVP award again, and in three seasons (185 games), he's compiled 301 points on 129 goals and 172 assists. He also has an eye-popping plus-101 plus/minus rating in that span, including plus-52 this season. Abramov also had four points (one goal, three assists) in four games last season with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League.
"We've talked about him here in meetings," Kekalainen said. "There's one guy on our depth chart that can score. He scores everywhere he's been. Whether he can do it in the National Hockey League remains to be seen, but that's a guy we should at least take a good look at, whether he can do it in the National Hockey League."
Alex Broadhurst, F, Cleveland/Blue Jackets (AHL/NHL)
Broadhurst will be one of the Jackets' UFAs on July 1 if he's not re-signed prior to the start of free agency. He turned 25 in March, so he's older than most rookies, but Broadhurst made his NHL debut at the end of the regular season. He joined the team after captain Nick Foligno went down with a lower-body injury and stayed with the Blue Jackets for the remaining six games.
Broadhurst, the Blue Jackets' seventh-round pick in 2011 (No. 199), played two games without recording a point but made an impression on Tortorella with his skating ability. He stayed with the team in the playoffs as one of the "black ace," extras who practiced separately. He had 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 66 games and led the Monsters in goals.
Jonathan Davidsson, Djurgardens (SHL)
Davidsson had a great season in the Swedish Hockey League, after being selected by Columbus last summer in the sixth round (No. 170). The 21-year old forward, who has a right-hand shot, had 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 52 games with Djurgardens IF, posting a plus-18 plus/minus rating. In the SHL playoffs, he had eight points (four goals, four assists) in 11 games.
Davidsson, who's 5-11, 185 pounds, impressed the Jackets' hockey operations staff quite a bit this season. Kekalainen brought him up on his own, when asked about Abramov and forward prospect Maxime Fortier (another QMJHL standout).
"Jonathan Davidsson, in the Swedish League, was excellent this year," Kekalainen said. "I went to see him a couple of times. He's got top-end NHL speed right now and he's 21-years old. We drafted him as a 20-year-old, so he's not your typical 18-year old, that you've got to wait for two years before he even gets into consideration of coming to camp or making the NHL team. He played a significant role on a Djurgardens team in Stockholm, had some very good statistics and is a player that we think has a good chance of making our team next year."
Eric Robinson, LW, Princeton/Blue Jackets (ECAC/NHL)
Robinson was a bit of a late bloomer as a power forward with speed, but took off as a prospect once things clicked. Robinson, who signed with the Blue Jackets as a collegiate free agent, played four seasons at Princeton and had 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) this year. He was also the Tigers' captain, helping them win the ECAC tournament and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Robinson joined the NHL roster for the Jackets right after signing and joined them during a trip to Western Canada with six games left in the regular season. He stayed with Columbus for those six games, making his NHL debut April 7 in a season-ending 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The Jackets think Robinson can become a left-handed version of Josh Anderson, with size (6-2, 201) and speed. His skating also caught Tortorella's eye.
Alexandre Texier, C, KalPa (Liiga)
The Blue Jackets traded up in the second round last summer to get Texier with the No. 45 overall pick, selecting him with their first pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. There was a reason they moved up. Columbus is looking to stock up on center depth and Texier could fit the bill. He won't turn 19 until September, but is already listed at 6-1, 192 pounds and played this season as a rookie in Finland's top professional league (Liiga).
Texier, who played professionally in France prior to being drafted, had 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 53 games for KalPa, and then had two points (one goal, one assist) in six playoff games. Texier is one of the best prospects to ever come out of France and will play for his country for the fourth time this season in the upcoming 2018 IIHF Men's World Championships, being held in Demark from May 4-20.
"We've got the French center, Alexandre Texier, [who] played an excellent first season in the Finnish elite league, and what's the schedule on him developing into a National Hockey Leaguer?" Kekalainen said. "He's going to play in the men's world championship starting next Friday. Another big step for him."
Sam Vigneault, C, Cleveland (AHL)
Vigneault, 22, is another name Kekalainen invoked when asked about improving the Jackets' center depth. After signing as an undrafted collegiate free agent out of Clarkson University on Mar. 16, 2017, Vigneault played 16 games in the AHL with Cleveland last season and then impressed in September during the prospects tournament in Traverse City. Vigneault carried that strong play into training camp, to the point the Jackets debated starting him in the NHL, but he broke a finger in the preseason and missed four-to-six weeks.
Upon returning, Vigneault got off to a slow start offensively with the Monsters. He picked up the scoring pace, but was then struck in the head by the puck and missed the final 12 games. He finished with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 56 games, including four power-play goals.
"I think that again, we could have something grow internally, where we're going to have a center-iceman come from within [like], 'He can fill that spot,'" Kekalainen said. "It was Sam Vigneault before he got hurt in training camp, playing, looking like, 'Hey, he's got a chance to make our team.' Then he gets hurt and he goes through a little bit of struggle in the [AHL] and then finally started playing really good, [and] he gets hit in the head with a puck and that was his season."