Seth Jones activated off injured reserve

COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated defenseman Seth Jones off Injured Reserve and assigned left wing Markus Hannikainen to the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus' American Hockey League affiliate, club General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.

Jones has missed the past six games after suffering a hairline fracture of his foot on November 5 at St. Louis.
Jones, 22, has recorded three goals and three assists for six points with a +1 plus/minus rating and has averaged 24:14 of ice time in 10 games with the Jackets this season. He leads the Blue Jackets in time on ice and is second among club defensemen in goals, assists (tied) and points. The Arlington, Texas native has posted 20-69-89 with 66 penalty minutes in 250 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators. He has collected 5-21-26 and 12 penalty minutes in 51 games with Columbus since being acquired in a trade from Nashville on January 6, 2016. Jones was the Predator's first round pick, fourth overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Hannikainen, 23, who was recalled on November 19, has posted 5-3-8 with four penalty minutes in 14 games with Cleveland this season. He leads the club in goals and ranks second in shots (39) and third-T in points. The Helsinki, Finland native has registered 12-16-28 with 24 penalty minutes and a +5 plus/minus rating in 64 career AHL games with the Monsters since making his North American pro debut in 2015-16. He also made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets last season on Nov. 28, 2015 at St. Louis and skated in four games with the club. Hannikainen originally signed a two-year, entry level contract with Columbus on Apr. 20, 2015.
The Blue Jackets, who have won four-straight and are 8-1-1 in the past 10 games to improve to 10-4-2 on the season, return to action tonight when they host the Colorado Avalanche. Game time at Nationwide Arena is 7 p.m. Live coverage on FOX Sports Ohio begin with the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on the Scioto Downs Blue Jackets Radio Network, including CD102.5 FM, and online at BlueJackets.com.