"Their defense was really good this year," Peeke said during Blue Jackets development camp last month. "You had guys like Werenski and Seth Jones leading the back end. I know if I keep progressing like that down the road, I'll have my shot to make the team. If I keep doing things the right way, maybe my time will come soon."
Peeke (6-foot-3, 198 pounds) is part of the new breed of defensemen in the NHL that combines size and speed.
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"You see more defensemen take over a game that are mobile defensemen," Blue Jackets defenseman prospect Ryan Collins (6-5, 216) said. "You watch the playoffs this year, every defenseman out there for Pittsburgh [Penguins] and Nashville [Predators], they all can skate the ice really well."
The Blue Jackets have stressed to Peeke that defensemen in coach John Tortorella's system go north/south and must be in involved in the offense. There is little room for the traditional defenseman-to-defenseman pass to start a play up ice.
"They told me to keep working on my skating and to keep working on my shot, getting the quick release as a defenseman," said Peeke, who had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 40 games at Notre Dame last season and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
"He exceeded my expectations and I think he exceeded Notre Dame's expectations," Blue Jackets development coach Chris Clark said.
Peeke's route to becoming a top prospect isn't traditional, but is becoming more commonplace as hockey continues its growth in southern climates.
He was born in Parkland, Florida, about 15 miles from BB&T Center, home of the Florida Panthers. His family has had Panthers season tickets since their inaugural season in 1993.
"My dad grew up in Michigan," Peeke said. "He brought the sport to me. The Panthers' rink was 10 minutes away from me so I went to games when I was 6 months old. I kind of followed his footsteps of enjoying hockey. That's how I got into it."
Peeke aspires to join other Florida-born players in the NHL, among them Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, the 16th pick of the 2016 draft. Chychrun and Peeke were teammates with the Junior Panthers.
For now, Peeke will concentrate on his studies as a business major and improving his game at Notre Dame.
"I learned the ropes of playing against older players, the speed and strength needed to play against the better players," he said of his first collegiate season. "Early on it was a little bit challenging getting used to it. But once I got through it then I got the confidence for the rest of the year and played to my strengths."
