Voracek fitting right in during his return to Columbus

Jakub Voracek smiled as the picture was shown to him, needing no further explanation to figure out when it was from.
"That's the first training camp," he said as he looked at a photo of himself, 14 years younger, taken in the same building he calls his hockey home again.
In the old picture, Voracek is a clean-shaven kid, smiling under a mop of blond hair and wearing a union blue Jackets jersey. He's about to embark on a long hockey journey he probably couldn't quite totally comprehend at the time -- big trades, great friends and wonderful memories but plenty of ups and downs.

And the Voracek looking at the picture on the cell phone in the present day is the result of all of those times, the good and bad. The hair is still magnificent, if not a little shorter and more manageable than it used to be. The bright red-orange beard that's become a staple of his look is another big difference, even if it's shorter than some of its more unkempt moments over the years.
In many ways, it's the same person -- the jovial personality, the quick wit. But so much has changed since the last time Voracek wore a Blue Jackets jersey a decade ago, it's almost hard to believe that the player who was traded to Philadelphia for Jeff Carter in the summer of 2011 was reacquired 10 years later for Cam Atkinson.
He's "home," as Voracek said, even if it hasn't been home for a decade. But at the same time, he's come a long way from when that first photo was taken since he was drafted seventh overall in the 2007 draft held in Nationwide Arena.
"Fourteen years is 14 years," he said, the smile getting bigger. "But I would say I'm growing like a fine wine."
The Blue Jackets clearly agreed, bringing the now-32-year-old winger back to be a key part of the team's rebuild, in part because he just fits. The biggest piece of puzzle will be on the ice, as coming off of a season with a 9-34-43 line in 53 games with the Flyers, Voracek is still one of the NHL's best distributors and should mesh well with Patrik Laine at both even strength and on the power play (see below).

Off the ice, though, Voracek's impact could be just as notable given the personality and professionalism he brings to the rink on a daily basis. There's a fun-loving vibe, as evidenced by all the greetings he has for his teammates (some of which we couldn't print here) as they walk by in the team hallway during a recent interview.
But there's also an understanding for Voracek, earned over his 13 full NHL seasons, of when it's time to work and how much dedication and effort go into one's craft.
"What I really like about Jake is just his passion to play," head coach Brad Larsen said. "I think he's 13, 14 years now in the league, and he still gets excited to play. He just loves to play the game of hockey, and it's infectious for our guys. It's good for our group. In practices, he works hard and he's competitive. We play these games at the end, and he's really angry when they lose."
That, Voracek can confirm.
"I'm always even keel, but I hate losing," Voracek said. "Obviously, I hate losing -- cards on the plane, if it's a scrimmage in a practice, if it's a hockey game, if it's a game in practice, I just hate losing. It makes me really, really mad. I get fired up and I get pissed off, but I'm fine 30 seconds, a minute later. But I get fired up."
Voracek admits that sometimes catches teammates by surprise -- as does his sarcastic manner; "If you don't know the person, you might think there's something wrong with me," he said -- but that combination of passion and fun is something the Blue Jackets haven't had in a while.
It's something the team needs, Larsen said, while defenseman Zach Werenski compared Voracek to another bearded character the team brought in from Philadelphia a few years ago in Scott Hartnell.
"I think he brings a good element to our locker room that we haven't had for a while," Werenski said. "He kind of reminds me of Hartsy a little bit, just a guy that knows how to go out there and get his job done no matter the circumstances but also likes to have fun. Since Hartsy left, I don't think we've had anyone like that. I think it's huge for our locker room. It's awesome having Jake here."
Hearing that would likely be music to the ears of the front office, which acquired Voracek in part to bring another veteran voice into the room. With the trades of captain Nick Foligno and alternate captains Atkinson and Seth Jones over the past few months -- not to mention the departures of such veterans as David Savard, Riley Nash and Michael Del Zotto -- Voracek was added to bring a leadership voice to the stage.
"It's nothing new for me," Voracek said. "I know it's harder for the media, for you guys, to see inside of it, but sometimes you don't see all the things that are happening inside the locker room. I've never been a show-off guy, show off to people how good of a leader I am, but I am sure for the young guys in Philly, I did a pretty solid job to teach them how to do some things, and I take pride in that.
"I had a good leadership group that I was in, and you have to pass it on to the young guys. I take pride in that, and I am willing to do that and excited to do that here."
So yes, it's a different Voracek who has stepped back to Columbus. He's pretty much seen it all over the years on the way to being the No. 23 leading scorer among active NHL players with 216 goals and 738 points (39 and 134 in Columbus). Around the middle of the season, should he stay healthy, he'll play his 1,000th NHL game.
He's come a long way from the fresh-faced kid from Kladno he was when he first stepped on the stage in Columbus. He has kids now and a different outlook on life. And like a fine wine, he has gotten better with age.
"When you're young, you don't have anything to worry about," he said. "Just go out there, play hockey, go home. You sleep in the afternoon, you play Call of Duty, you want dinner, you go out for dinner, have a couple of beers. You don't really worry about anything. Obviously when you get older, life gets a little bit different with the kids and family and stuff like that. I'd say that's a normal life for a lot of people. I'm no different."