PROSPECTS TOURNAMENT: Jackets enjoying Traverse City, as usual

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Each year at this time, a small army of people outfitted in Blue Jackets garb descends upon Centre Ice Arena.
It's not comprised of fans, even though some of the Jackets' most ardent supporters also trek up to Northern Michigan for the annual NHL Prospects Tournament that began Friday with Columbus defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in their first game.
No, the small army is mainly the Jackets' front office and scouting staff, who collectively look forward to this event every year. The location couldn't be nicer, the same goes for the weather and there's a lot of hockey to watch - as prospects from eight teams battle it out for five days before scattering to their respective cities for the start of NHL training camps.
"How do you not love it?" said Bill Zito, fresh off a contract extension and promotion to associate general manager. "You've got a quarter of the league here, eight teams full of young prospects and players, plus all the staffs and scouts, coaches, managers, reporters and everybody who loves hockey. You watch hockey all day long. It's a great place to be. There's a little nip in the air. Autumn's here. Everything about it is great. It's perfect."

It's also missing one big portion of the Blue Jackets army, as President of Hockey Operations John Davidson remains back in Columbus recovering from back surgery.
"He loves this tournament, so he's always beaming when it's time to go to Traverse City and play that tournament," said GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who also received a multi-year contract extension from the Blue Jackets earlier this week, along with Davidson. "He loves hockey. He loves watching hockey, so I'm sure we'll be texting him … but he'll be grumpy because he can't watch the games. I'm sure he'll find a way to watch them online though."
As luck would have it for Davidson, and others interested in watching the action, each game of the tournament will be televised on the Fox Sports Go app - allowing even more people to catch the excitement of a new season, even if it's only on a handheld screen.
Kekalainen and the rest of the Columbus front office in attendance this year watch it live, assessing each player through the course of the week. It's the start of a process that makes Kekalainen feel like a kid awaiting Christmas morning - this year maybe more than any of the previous five he's been the Jackets' GM.
"I'm anxious," Kekalainen said. "When you have an offseason as long as we've had, you're always getting anxious - probably a little bit earlier than the guys who play until June 15. And that's the way it should be. You've got something to prove and you want to get going again and you want to have another opportunity to win something, and that's why you're anxious to get going."
OFF AND ROLLING
This year's Blue Jackets contingent got off to a nice start in the tournament with their victory against the Blackhawks.
Despite being whistled for six penalties, including the last four of the game in a row between the second and third periods, the Jackets hung on for the one-goal win. Samuel Dove-McFalls, Keoni Texeira, Kevin Stenlund and Sam Vigneault each scored goals, including Vigneault's game-winner while Columbus was killing a penalty midway through the third period.
Matiss Kivlenieksmade 18 saves on 21 shots, helping the Jackets kill off all six penalties they took.
"I thought for the most part they all played great," said coach John Madden, who coaches the Cleveland Monsters in the regular season. "They made some mistakes, but it's their first game of the year. They've never played together, but what I will say is they competed hard. There weren't any parts of the game where they weren't trying. That's a start to a good tournament."
The Jackets' roster in Traverse City is comprised of 10 players who were either drafted or signed as free agents, while 14 players are competing as free-agent invitees looking to impress Columbus or scouts from other teams in attendance.
"It's definitely challenging for a coach, because you want to put certain aspects on the ice and certain systems, but there's really not enough time to do it," Madden said. "So, you try to do it the best you can. The only good thing is it's the same for everybody else too. Maybe there are one or two teams that have a lot of returning guys, but overall, these guys have played a lot of hockey. Overall, I think it should be a good tournament. I think we stack up well against anybody."
COLUMBUS ON HIS MIND
Just like last season, the Blue Jackets have included a group of top prospects who will go into training camp looking to earn a spot in the NHL to start the season.
Swedish forward Jonathan Davidsson is one of them, as the 21-year old winger begins his quest to play this season with the Blue Jackets. Davidsson has spent the past couple weeks in Columbus, getting acquainted with the city and his possible NHL teammates during offseason skates. He's eager to get things going, starting with this tournament, but he's not sizing up the franchise's depth chart to see where there might be openings for him in Columbus.
"I mean, I haven't looked at the roster," said Davidsson, who played for Djurgardens in the Swedish Hockey League. "I just watched a lot of the [Blue Jackets] games last season and I know what type of players most of the people are. I've got to play my best hockey and hopefully I'll do it and make it hard for them to send me home."
If Davidsson doesn't make the NHL roster, he will indeed go back home to Sweden - where he's obligated to play for Djurgardens if he doesn't make the Jackets' roster.
"I have a contract with Djurgardens," Davidsson said, "but my head is here in Columbus and that's where I want to play."
BIRTHDAY GIFT
Davidsson assisted on Vigneault's shorthanded game-winner, creating the scoring opportunity with a nice steal of a pass near the Blackhawks' blue line and then sliding a pass over for the shot in front of the net.
Vigneault, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Thursday, scored when his backhand shot deflected up over goalie Kevin Lankinen's left shoulder and bounced into the net. Davidsson stood at the egde of the crease, awaiting a rebound, and had a close-up view.
"It bounced off the shoulder of the goalie," he said. "It was a nice birthday present for Sam. It was his goal and I'm glad for him."
NEW TO THE PK
Eric Robinson, another Blue Jackets forward hoping to earn a spot in Columbus, got off to a nice start for the tournament. He didn't record any points but was noticeable in a positive way while playing right wing on the top line.
He also logged time as a penalty-killing forward when the Blue Jackets were shorthanded, which was a change from his four years playing for Princeton.
"For whatever reason, I didn't kill many penalties there," said Robinson, who was given an alternate captain's 'A' for his jersey. "But I'm willing and I think I'm capable. I'm really excited I was able to get some time out there, as well."
THE LETTERMEN ARE …
Prior to the game, it was announced that Vigneault would wear the captain's 'C' on his sweater for the tournament, while defenseman Ryan Collins and Robinson would handle the role of alternate captains.
All three are former college players in their early 20s.
"That was an easy one for me," Madden said about choosing Vigneault as the captain. "He's a great kid, he's a great teammate, he comes to every practice and competes. He's got all the qualities of somebody you would want other people to be like."