Names to know as Blue Jackets take part in NHL Prospect Tournament

There will be Blue Jackets hockey today when the team steps on the ice to take on the St. Louis Blues at 3 p.m. in the team's opening game of the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
The real stuff won't begin until Sept. 25 (first preseason games) and Oct. 12 (first regular-season game), but this is the first real milepost on the march to the NHL season.
Columbus will play three games over the next four days, with contests also scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. vs Detroit and Sunday at 2 p.m. vs. Toronto. All games will be streamed on the CBJ website as well as the team's Twitter page.

Of the 22 players on the team roster who headed to the northern part of Michigan, 13 were chosen by the Blue Jackets in the NHL draft, while two others are under contract with the team and four more have signed deals with the franchise's AHL affiliate in Cleveland.
READ MORE: Traverse hub | Tournament preview
Only one, 2021 first-round draft pick Kent Johnson, has played in an NHL game, but the roster also includes 2022 first-round selections David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk as well as 2018 second-round pick Kirill Marchenko, who is expected to vie for playing time with the Blue Jackets this season.
Here's a quick breakdown of the players who will don the union blue this weekend.

CBJ draft picks

F Kent Johnson (6-1, 168; No. 5 overall pick in 2021 draft):Known for his high-level skill, Johnson is considered one of the team's and the game's top prospects after being one of the top-scoring players in college hockey the past two years at Michigan and winning the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship for Canada with an overtime goal this summer.
D David Jiricek (6-3, 190; No. 6 overall pick in 2022 draft):If Johnson isn't the team's top prospect, it's likely Jiricek, a massive Czech defender who played against men a season ago with HC Plzen in his native country. While his size allows him to dominate in the defensive zone, he also has some offensive ability to his game.
D Denton Mateychuk (5-11, 194; No. 12 overall pick in 2022 draft): The skilled defenseman with Moose Jaw of the WHL is known for his excellent skating skills and defensive intensity, and his mobility combined with a high level of skill could allow him to take over games at the top level as he gains more experience.
F Kirill Marchenko (6-2, 181; second-round pick in 2018 draft):Fans have been waiting for years for Marchenko to come over to North America after he spent four seasons in the KHL. With 27 goals in 80 games in the second-best league in the world the last two years, Marchenko boasts a shot that is NHL ready.
F Luca Del Bel Belluz (6-1, 179; second-round pick in 2022 draft):The two-way centerman from Mississauga of the OHL needs to work on his speed, but most of the other tools are there as he combines scoring ability with intensity and defensive commitment to play a solid 200-foot game.
D Samuel Knazko (6-1, 190; third-round pick in 2020 draft): The blueliner has extensive experience in international play for his home country of Slovakia and came over to North America a year ago to play for Seattle of the WHL, where he showed his two-way abilities and posted a 5-15-20 line in 27 games.
D Stanislav Svozil (6-0, 168; third-round pick in 2021 draft): Svozil also showed he can score in North America a year ago, coming to Regina of the WHL and posting a 10-31-41 line in 51 games. Also an international veteran, the Czech defenseman has plenty of poise and skill on the puck.
F Jordan Dumais (5-9, 165; third-round pick in 2022 draft): The Blue Jackets nabbed him late in the third round this summer and think highly of the compete level and skill of Dumais, who had 109 points in 68 games last year with Halifax of the QMJHL. Size, as you might expect, is the hurdle he must overcome.
F Mikael Pyyhtia (6-0, 174; fourth-round pick in 2020 draft):The Finnish winger was a breakout player a year ago, scoring 15 of his 21 goals with TPS in the top-level Finnish Liiga in the last two months of the season. He's an intriguing prospect because of his scoring abilities overseas.
D Ole Bjorgvik-Holm (6-3, 194; fifth-round pick in 2020 draft): The Blue Jackets have struck gold in previous years with Norwegians Espen Knutsen and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Bjorgvik-Holm is a big, rangy defenseman with some skill to his game, plus an engaging personality off the ice.
F James Malatesta (5-9, 179; fifth-round pick in 2021 draft):One of the strongest players in the QMJHL, Malatesta also has scoring touch as evidenced by his 28-25-53 line a year ago with Quebec. He also plays with drive despite his height.
F Ben Boyd (6-3, 203; sixth-round pick in 2021 draft): Big Boyd is a big boy, and while it would be a stretch to call him a classic enforcer, he did post 47 penalty minutes in 38 games a year ago with Charlottetown of the QMJHL. He must utilize his size and physicality to make it to the next level, but they are certainly there.
F Martin Rysavy (6-3, 218; seventh-round pick in 2021 draft):Another big body, Rysavy has extensive international experience with his native Czechia. He had an 8-18-26 line a year ago in 47 games with Moose Jaw of the WHL.

Signed with CBJ

D Marcus Bjork (6-3, 203):A veteran of the Swedish Hockey League, Bjork signed with Columbus after the Jackets decided to bring him over to see how his game would fare in North America. The 24-year-old two-way defenseman posted a 3-12-15 line a year ago in 52 games with Byrnas.
G Jet Greaves (6-0, 170):A training camp invite of the Jackets a year ago after starting with Barrie of the OHL, the 21-year-old had a tremendous season that saw him play 29 games and post a 2.84 GAA with Cleveland. He's not the biggest guy but there's potential there.

AHL signees

F Owen Sillinger (5-10, 183): The brother of CBJ forward Cole Sillinger and the son of NHL veteran Mike, Owen was one of the top-scoring players in college hockey a year ago (17-30-47 in 39 games) with Bemidji State before singing with the Monsters. He turns 25 next week but could be due for an AHL breakout.
F Roman Ahcan (5-9, 170):Signed by the Monsters out of the University of Wisconsin a year ago, Ahcan plays a physical game as evidenced by his combined 115 penalty minutes in 58 combined games with the Badgers and Monsters.
D Cole Clayton (6-2, 209):A defenseman with size with Alberta who played four years with Medicine Hat of the WHL, Clayton spent this past season with Cleveland, where the 22-year-old posted a 2-14-16 line in 55 games.
G Pavel Cajan (6-2, 176): One of the top goalies a year ago in the OHL with Kitchener, Cajan signed with Cleveland after showing well at the CBJ development camp this summer. He had a 21-18-4 record in 44 games with the Rangers last year.

Free agent invites

F Evan Vierling (6-0, 168):A 20-year-old forward from Aurora, Ontario, Vierling had a 20-27-47 line with Barrie of the OHL last season.
F Samuel Huo (6-4, 192): A 21-year-old winger with size from Richmond, B.C., Huo posted a 30-28-58 line in 60 games for Tri-City of the WHL.
F Liam Hawel (6-5, 194):The big 23-year-old from Kanata, Ontario, formerly played with Laval of the AHL and in the OHL but was in the Canadian college ranks a year ago, posting an 18-19-37 line in 24 games with St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia.