With that, Blankenburg showed he belonged, which has been a fight for the undersized (5-9, 175) defenseman his entire career. The 23-year-old from Washington, Mich., has been told his entire life he wasn't big enough or talented enough to make it, which is why he's had to take the long road to the Blue Jackets.
Blankenburg played for the highly regarded Little Caesars youth teams growing up but found himself playing at Romeo High School rather than in juniors as he got older. But back-to-back 67-point seasons showed him he truly did have what it takes to make it to a higher level, and Blankenburg dedicated himself to the sport, once even taking a job as a Zamboni driver at a local rink to chase his dream
according to a profile from MLive.com
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It eventually worked out, though it still wasn't easy. An impressive season of U-18 major midget with Victory Honda in Michigan - where he moved from forward to defense - got him a shot, but it was in Alberta, Canada, of all places, with the Okotoks Oilers.
A strong season in one of the best Tier II leagues in Canada then got him a shot back home, and Blankenburg walked on at Michigan. After three solid seasons with the Wolverines, he was not only awarded a scholarship this past season, he was named team captain of a squad filled with first-round picks, and Blankenburg finished this season with career highs in goals (14) and points (29) with a U-M team that made the Frozen Four.
"I don't really think many people expected me to be here," he said. "Just to be here for me personally and believing in myself and having that belief has really helped me along the way. I think the biggest thing is competing and working hard each and every single day, whether it was playing high school hockey or playing midget major or at Michigan or even here, just trying to compete and just trying to work as hard as I can and have fun because if I'm not having fun, why am I playing, you know? That's the biggest thing."
And at the end of the day, that might be why the Blue Jackets were so attracted to Blankenburg, as it's pretty clear he wouldn't have made it this far without a strong competitive motor.
"It was interesting listening to him talk, his story, his journey, how he got to here today," head coach Brad Larsen said Monday. "I had heard it, but I like to hear it from him first. It's a really neat story. He's had to work for everything he has. He didn't get here today and realize he's small. I think he knows he's small. I don't think that's news to him. I think that's probably what has made him the player he is.
"And to walk into a program like Michigan and wear a letter by your third year, be a captain by your fourth year, lead the team -- there's a lot of high-end prospects and draft picks on that team. That says a lot about I think his character and who he is, how he goes about his business. I'm real intrigued to watch him play."
While Blankenburg has had a chance to play with some high-level players at U-M, he did admit there have already been some welcome to the NHL moments in his first few days with the Blue Jackets.
"It's definitely nice to call home and have my brother asking about what it was like to meet Patrik Laine and stuff like that," he said. "It was pretty cool today, going down on a 2-on-0 and thinking in my head, 'OK, I'm passing it to Laine, put it on his tape.' Stuff like that is pretty funny that I'll tell my brother or my parents when I give them a call. They'll laugh about it. I'm just trying to enjoy every moment."
Blankenburg said he had a chance to turn pro a year ago but decided to return to U-M to serve as captain of a team that made it all the way to the Frozen Four. Conversations with the Blue Jackets began around Christmas, and he chose to sign with Columbus because of chats he had with the front office and their vision for what he can become as a player.
Just don't expect to lose the chip on his shoulder that got him this far.
"A big part of my game is playing with physicality and not being afraid to play physical," Blankenburg said. "I think that comes from just growing up and having that chip on my shoulder and having an older brother who would toss me around in the basement playing ministicks or playing basketball. Obviously when you're the small kid on the block or the small kid in school, you have to fight for everything you get.
"That was a big thing growing up for me that I was able to learn and carry with me through my career so far. I definitely plan to continue to do that."
