If the results mean anything, Del Bel Belluz is right. Since making his pro debut Oct. 27, the Ontario native has started to fill up the score sheet, posting two goals and seven assists for nine points in 12 games. He’s had three multipoint games, including a three-assist performance in the Monsters’ last game Sunday vs. Utica.
The second-round pick in the 2022 draft is thought to bring both offensive instincts and defensive responsibilities to the table, and he’s been impressive thus far. It’s a continuation of what he achieved a season ago in juniors, as in a season split between Mississauga and Sarnia of the OHL, Del Bel Belluz combined for 40 goals and 87 points in 68 games.
At some point, the hope is he’ll be a two-way center at the NHL level, but the time in the AHL is letting him get used to the pro game and also gain the strength he’ll need to be successful against the best.
“There’s a lot of time in the gym with the strength trainer here,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. I want to be able to put on weight and get stronger. Playing here is great, but obviously the next step is you want to play for Columbus and you want to make it to the NHL. The biggest thing for me is to be able to get stronger and spend more time in the gym.”
Del Bel Belluz also talks about the Monsters’ strong start to the season, his friendship with fellow prospects Jake Christiansen and James Malatesta, and much more in this week’s episode of the Pipeline Podcast. In addition, CBJ director of player personnel Chris Clark, the Monsters’ general manager, chats with Tyrer about the team's strong start to the season.
Monsters Remain in First
The team’s AHL affiliate in Cleveland sits in first place in the North Division through 19 games, but the Monsters likely are left ruing a missed opportunity on Sunday.
Cleveland tied a franchise record with five goals in the first period against Utica only to see the Comets battle back to take a 7-6 win in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. That setback ended a five-game winning streak for Cleveland, which retains a one-point advantage on Syracuse for the top spot in the division.
At least the Monsters were able to fill up the scoresheet, with both Emil Bemstrom (1-2-3) and Del Bel Belluz (0-3-3) notching three points. The squad also got goals from Malatesta, Christiansen, Owen Sillinger, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Hunter McKown.
That game came less than 24 hours after the Monsters’ Saturday night victory over Utica, with Cleveland earning a 4-2 win in Daniil Tarasov’s season debut. The CBJ goalie on a conditioning assignment stopped 22 of 24 shots against, while Malatesta scored twice, Carson Meyer notched the clinching goal and Brendan Gaunce also tallied.
On the season, Fix-Wolansky is tied for fourth in the AHL with 22 points on six goals and 16 assists, while Christiansen is tied for fourth in the league among defensemen with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists). Bemstrom has 10 goals and 14 points in eight games, while Meyer’s nine goals are second in the team.
The Monsters hit the road this week, taking on Hartford tonight before games Friday at Wilkes-Barre Scranton and Saturday at Hershey. Cleveland returns home for back-to-back games Dec. 14-15 vs. Belleville.
Four Invited to World Juniors Camps
One of the highlights of the hockey season is the IIHF World Junior Championship, with the top Under-20 players in the world laying it all on the line for their countries each year. The tournament is a preview of the best young talent in the world, with many of the players taking part soon to be on NHL teams at the end of their junior careers.
This year, two Blue Jackets prospects have been named to the preliminary roster for Team USA and two others to Team Canada for the tournament that begins Dec. 26 and runs through Jan. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
On the American side, USA Hockey named a 29-man preliminary roster Monday that will have to be trimmed to 25 by the start of the tournament, and CBJ forwards Gavin Brindley and William Whitelaw have been chosen for the squad.
For Brindley, it would be a return engagement, as the 2023 second-round pick had a goal in three assists in seven games in last year's tournament for the bronze medal-winning U.S. team. He’s been one of the top scorers in college hockey this year as a sophomore at Michigan, posting a 10-8-18 line in 18 games.
Whitelaw would make the squad for the first time, and the 2023 third-round selection would bring passion and grit to the squad. He’s had a great start to his college career this season with Wisconsin, posting four goals and four assists in 15 games for the sixth-ranked Badgers.
Hockey Canada followed Tuesday by announcing a 30-player roster that included 2022 first-round pick Denton Mateychuk and 2022 third-round pick Jordan Dumais. Mateychuk is off to a historic start with Moose Jaw of the WHL, with the defenseman posting a franchise-record 21-game point streak to begin the season with six goals and 27 assists for 33 points.
Dumais, as most CBJ fans know, is coming off one of the most productive seasons in the QMJHL in recent years and is improving upon it this year with Halifax, posting a 15-27-42 line through 19 games so far.
Prospect Notes
- Kirill Dozhenkov has opened his scoring account in the KHL, as the Dmitri Voronkov clone with CSKA Moscow scored his first career goal in the league Nov. 24 and added a second Dec. 3. The 19-year-old 2022 fourth-round pick is starting to earn a regular shift with CSKA and now has a 2-2-4 line in 14 games after skating 19:17 and notching an assist Tuesday vs. Metallurg. The 6-6, 234-pound wing previously had 5-4-9 in 13 games with Zvezda Moscow in the Russan equivalent of the AHL.
- Defenseman Andrew Strathmann had a three-game goal streak from Nov. 19-30 with Youngstown of the USHL, and the 2023 fourth-round pick now has a 5-13-18 line in 17 games with the Phantoms this season. The team captain is now set to join Team USA for the World Junior A Challenge, which takes place Dec. 10-17 in Nova Scotia.
- 2023 fourth-round draft pick Luca Pinelli keeps filling up the net, as the forward’s 21 goals through the first 25 games with Ottawa place him third in the OHL in goals. While scoring the 67s Teddy Bear Toss goal this weekend, Pinelli had a three-goal weekend in two games to snap a four-game scoreless streak.
