Add in Cole Sillinger -- he didn't grow up in Columbus but was born in the capital city when his father, Mike, played for the Blue Jackets -- and there's a distinct local flavor to the Blue Jackets of late. With the organization celebrating its 21st season, the boom of hockey excitement that took hold when the franchise started in the year 2000 is starting to become quite bountiful when it comes to producing high-level players including NHLers.
But what has happened recently is not just a celebration of the local hockey community but a validation of its success. Since Meyer debuted April 4 against Boston, the Blue Jackets have scored 24 goals, and 20 of them were either scored or assisted by a player born or raised in Columbus.
"It's cool stuff," Kuraly said. "I'm proud of Columbus, I'm proud of the city, I'm proud to be on this team, and success is obviously something we're all working really hard to have. I think it says more about Columbus than it does us as players, the hockey system, the coaches, the people around us that have supported us. You have an infrastructure for kids to come up and play hockey in Columbus, and we're the byproduct of that."
The red-hot Roslovic has led the way during that span with seven goals and an assist for eight points, while Kuraly has three tallies and two assists in that span, Sillinger has a trio of goals and two assists, and Meyer has a goal and two assists.
One of the most special of those tallies came Saturday night in Los Angeles, as Meyer threw a centering pass to the net for Kuraly to drive home. While we are yet to see a goal that includes contributions from Roslovic, Kuraly and Meyer, the three are all products of the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets junior program and count each other among close friends.