The Columbus Blue Jackets have 10 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #10. 

Let's take a look.

Serge Aubin - 2001-2002 - Drafted by Pittsburgh in 1994.

Aubin played 154 games for the Jackets and had 60 points.

He left for Europe in 2006 and played in Switzerland and Germany until he retired in 2012. 

He's currently the head coach for Eisbären Berlin in Germany. 

Trevor Letowski - 2004-2006 - Drafted by Phoenix in 1996. 

Played 154 games for the Jackets and had 60 points.

He finished his career by playing two seasons in the KHL. He is currently as assistant coach for the Montréal Canadiens, where he's been since 2021. 

Duvie Westcott - 2007-2008 - Westcott was undrafted and signed by the CBJ in 2001.

Wescott played in 201 games for the Blue Jackets from 2001 to 2008. He scored 11 goals and totaled 56 points. Wescott was described as "a gritty defenseman with a solid all-around game. Has good passing ability and powerplay skills." 

After playing for Columbus, Wescott went to Europe and played the next seven seasons in the KHL, DEL, and Swiss National League. He retired in 2015. 

Kris Russell - 2009-2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2005.

Russell played 288 games in Columbus and had 79 points. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues on November 11, 2011, in exchange for Nikita Nikitin. 

He went on to play 912 NHL games and total 254 points. After playing 6 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Russell retired in 2022. 

Marián Gáborík - 2013-2014 - Drafted by Minnesota in 2000. 

Gáborík played only 34 games as a Jacket and had 22 points. He was traded to the LA Kings on March 5, 2014, in exchange for Matt Frattin. He officially retired in 2021 after playing 1,035 career games.

One scout said of Gáborík, "One of the best skaters in the world, Gáborík is known for his explosive speed. He is a highly offensive winger and thanks to good hands and an extremely sharp shot, an excellent finisher. On the downside, Gaborik doesn't always think team-first and has also had issues with commitment to defensive play."

Mark Letestu - 2013 - Undrafted out of Elk Point, Alberta.

Letestu was traded to Columbus by Pittsburgh for Columbus's 4th round pick on November 8, 2011. He played in 255 games in two different stints with the CBJ, scoring 44 goals and totaling 102 points. He also played 64 games for the Cleveland Monsters during the 2018-19 season, where he scored 50 points. He would play his last NHL game on October 13th, 2019, for the Winnipeg Jets.

In 2021, he was hired as an Assistant Coach by the Monsters, where he served until 2025. In the Summer of 2025, he was hired by the AHL's Colorado Eagles as their next head coach.

Jack Skille - 2015 - Drafted by Chicago in 2005. 

Skille played 61 games for Columbus and had 12 points. On July 6, 2013, Skille was signed as a free agent by the CBJ, but the following summer, he left in free agency. On October 5, 2014, Skille was claimed off waivers by Columbus, where he would play in 45 games. He left Columbus again, and would play a season in Colorado, and a season in Vancouver. 

In 2017, he left for Europe, where he played in Russia, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. He retired in 2021 and went into coaching. He's currently a skills coach and the Director of Skills Development for the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies franchise. The Grizzlies are moving to Trenton, New Jersey, at the end of the 25-26 season. 

Alexander Wennberg - 2017-2020 - Wennberg was drafted in the 1st round of the 2013 NHL Draft as the 14th overall draft pick.

Wennberg came to North America and made his NHL Debut in 2014. After having three decent seasons, including a 59-point year in 2016-17, Wennberg was signed to a six-year deal on September 1st, 2017. 

Tom Wilson would seemingly derail Wennberg's career in the 2018 playoffs when he laid a devastating check on him. The next two seasons, Wennberg would only total 47 points. In October of 2020, the CBJ would buy Wennberg out, making him a free agent. The Jackets are finally about to make the final buyout payment to Wennberg this year. 

In addition to playing with the Florida Panthers since leaving Columbus, He's played for the Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks. After the 59-point season he had in 2016-17, Wennberg hasn't scored more than 38 points in a single season.

Jordan Schroeder - 2018 - Drafted by Vancouver in 2009.

Schroeder played 21 games as a Jacket and had two points. He left for Europe in 2019 where he still plays today. He plays for Brynäs IF in Sweden.  

Dmitri Voronkov - 2024-2025 - Drafted by Columbus in 2019. 

The big Russian forward played 148 games and has 81 points in his first two seasons. 

He will be looking to add on to that this season if he can stay healthy. He was challenged to come into camp this year and be in better shape. All indications are that he did just that. He will be counted as one of the young players to take another big step this season to help the Jackets into the playoffs. 

There are 10 days until opening night at NWA. 

The pre-season schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Oct. 4 at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET

After that, the Blue Jackets will open the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

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Staring Down The Streak - Sept. 14 2015 - Vol. 69 Issue 3 - Bob Duff

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A decade, the Detroit Red Wings will answer to a new coach, as Jeff Blashill takes over for the departed Mike Babcock. And a lengthy search for a skilled, right-handshot defenseman ended when Detroit signed Mike Green via free agency. You could make a case either will prove the key addition as the Wings seek to extend their playoff streak to a quarter-century. Based on more recent developments, however, Detroit’s other free agent acquisition, center Brad Richards, might be the most important newcomer.

Pavel Datsyuk announced that the ankle surgery he underwent in June, which was supposed to sideline him only four to six weeks, will leave him out four to five months. Suddenly, at least to start the season, Richards has been thrust into the role as Detroit’s No. 1 center.

Wings GM Ken Holland acknowledged the signing of Richards was partially driven by Datsyuk’s status. “We were looking for a No. 2 center iceman and maybe even a No. 1 center, not being sure how long Datsyuk will be out to start the season with his ankle injury,” Holland said. “So in Richards we added a guy that’s a winner with two Stanley Cups.”

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Even after Datsyuk is healthy, the Wings see Richards playing a vital role. “When we’re all healthy the thinking is it’s going to be ‘Z’ (Henrik Zetterberg) and ‘Pav’ together on one line, and Brad centering another line,” Holland said. “We’ve got lots of different wingers here.

“With Riley Sheahan in the three hole, we’re hoping – believing – that when everybody’s healthy we’re going to be able to roll four lines and three lines that can really provide offense on any given night.”

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Green isn’t the same guy who scored 31 goals and 73 points for Washington in 2008-09, but, at 29, he still has lots of hockey left in him and brings a skill element to Detroit’s back end that’s been absent since Nicklas Lidstrom retired in 2012. “We were really fortunate to have guys like Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski and Chris Chelios and Larry Murphy going back,” Holland said. “We always wanted to have defensemen who could join the rush and get the puck moving. That’s part of how we’ve been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished.”

Green’s 45 points last season would have led the Detroit defense. Niklas Kronwall (44 points) was the only Red Wing to finish among the top 40 blueliners in scoring. Green also provides the right-handed point shot the Wings have sought for their power play.

As for Blashill, Detroit always viewed him as Babcock’s successor, doubling his salary as Grand Rapids coach to $400,000 last summer instead of giving him the freedom to pursue offers from other NHL teams. Blashill has coached almost every player on the Wings roster, so the transition should be smooth. He shepherded Grand Rapids to a Calder Cup crown as AHL champ in 2012-13, and that club’s key contributors included current Wings Sheahan, Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Jurco, Luke Glendening and Petr Mrazek.

New Father Of Twins James van Riemsdyk Happy To Be With Red Wings As one of the more active teams in free agency during the offseason, the Detroit Red Wings signed multiple new players for the 2025-26 NHL campaign, one of them being veteran James van Riemsdyk. 

While Blashill subscribes to many of the same philosophies as Babcock, he shouldn’t be viewed as a Babcock clone. “I coach similar in a lot of ways to how ‘Babs’ has coached here and in a lot of the same approaches as to who we play,” Blashill said. “But I’m my own person in how I deal with players and how I deal with things on a daily basis. I’ll have my own approach, and with my own approach will come change.”

One thing that won’t change? Expect the Wings to be playoff participants again in 2015-16. It’s one of the reasons Richards chose Detroit. “I’ve been in the Stanley Cup final two years in a row, and it gets addicting when you get a taste of winning,” Richards said. “I feel this team has a great chance.” 

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Just like The Hockey News last week, NHL.com has included the Montreal Canadiens in its first power rankings of the new season. Where did the Habs land in those rankings? Two spots higher than on THN’s rankings, in 14th place.

Journalist Jean-Francois Chaumont writes that the rebuild is now a thing of the past for the Canadiens and that they are ready to make another push for a playoff appearance. For him, the summer’s new arrivals will be key to the Habs' fate this season. Montreal edged both the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers, who finished 15th and 16th, respectively.

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Given how well the Canadiens did in the preseason, this is not surprising. Although the Habs did have one game where they came out flat and didn’t put in the appropriate level of effort, they bounced back, and Ivan Demidov has been a standout in every game or scrimmage he has played in.

The young Russian has demonstrated that he can confound opponents with his ability to create space and time for himself through twists and turns. He’s also shown that even if he doesn’t have either, his deceptiveness can allow him to try a pass that very few players would attempt and even fewer would succeed in making. Looking one way, he can send a picture-perfect pass to the other side of the ice without breaking a sweat. His presence on the power play should really have a significant impact on the special team unit's success rate.

As for Zack Bolduc, he has impressed with both his speed and defensive play since the start of camp. He’s the perfect player to deliver the kind of play Martin St-Louis was after; he’s intense at both ends of the ice, and he worked on his defensive play in his rookie season, and it shows.

Noah Dobson made a good impression in his first preseason game, but unfortunately, he had to leave the second game with a minor groin injury. Judging by what we’ve seen at practice since then, though, it’s likely that he will suit up on Saturday for the Canadiens’ last preseason game.

On top of the new arrivals from outside the organization, I feel it’s important to mention the performance of Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck, and Florian Xhekaj at camp. The three managed to see the Habs camp through the end, and whichever final decision is made by St-Louis, they can all be proud of their performance and how they handled themselves.

Right now, Kapanen appears to be the likely choice to stay with the team for the start of the season, but Beck and Xhekaj won’t be far behind on the call-up list if injuries start to complicate matters for the Habs. Beck has lost out to Kapanen because of the Finn’s better offensive game and readiness. The coach says he played a mature game and has taken a step in the right direction last season. As for Xhekaj, there’s still room to improve his defensive reads, but he has shown that just like his brother, he can bring some grit and sandpaper to the lineup. After the Washington Capitals and Tom Wilson roughed up the Canadiens in the playoffs, it’s a relief for the organization to see that they have a player who could eventually become their version of Wilson in their ranks in the younger Xhekaj.

On the blueline, Adam Engstrom has also shown interesting flashes, and he, too, saw the camp to the end, but the fact that Dobson and Kaiden Guhle dealt with injury helped in that respect. The 21-year-old Swede has developed very well in his first season with the Laval Rocket last year, but he can still use some seasoning and needs a lot of ice time, which he wouldn’t get now with the Canadiens.

For a second camp in a row, David Reinbacher didn’t end camp the way he would have liked since he sustained an injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Still, the injury is much less severe than the knee injury he suffered last season, and he’s only been ruled out for four weeks. However, even if he hadn’t been, he’s not ready for the NHL yet. The game was clearly coming a bit too fast for him in exhibition games. He needs to work on making decisions faster with the puck if he is to meet the lofty expectations the Canadiens have in him.

Still, the Canadiens have been impressive enough at camp to find a berth in the NHL’s Super 16, and it’s fully deserved. St-Louis wanted a more intense training camp that would see his men be ready for the season start on October 8, and that’s precisely what he got.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have had a heavy presence in college hockey over the last couple of years. They have used first-round picks on college hockey players or young men committed to the NCAA  frequently since Kyle Davidson took over. 

Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Drew Commesso, and Ryan Greene, amongst others, have all played in the college ranks at one point or another. 

This year will be no different. There will be a handful of Blackhawks prospects playing across the college hockey landscape, and their scouts will be watching all of the top prospects eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft with a close eye. 

At The Hockey News, our Ryan Kennedy ranked the top 100 NCAA players to watch in 2025-26. The Blackhawks and the players they will be scouting are all over the list. 

The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) on XWe have one of the most highly anticipated college hockey seasons of all-time coming up! @THNRyanKennedy’s Top 💯 NCAA Players to Watch: https://t.co/9NNtvLKBiD

For one, forward Gavin McKenna of Penn State and defenseman Keaton Verhoeff of North Dakota are the undrafted players to watch if you're dreaming of drafting in the top two. For the Blackhawks, there is a chance that this is their reality in 2026. 

McKenna is the number one-ranked player on this list, and Verhoeff was fifth. Of course, although the latter is projected to be a great NHL player, the former is labeled as a generational talent. Getting their hands on him would be another franchise-altering draft pick for Chicago. 

Although the Blackhawks are incredibly strong when it comes to underage defensemen, it is hard to see them passing on Verhoeff if they had the second overall pick. In that instance, you may take the best player available if the gap between two and three is that large. You can address the surplus at the position for help in other spots later. 

As far as players already drafted, the Chicago Blackhawks have four players in this top-100 ranking. Those players are:

25. Vaclav Nestrasil, RW, U-Mass

Vaclav Nestrasill will head to U-Mass after being selected in the first round (25th overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 NHL Draft. His game as a scoring winger in the USHL should translate to success in Hockey East, where he will prepare to become a contributor in the NHL.

32. Sacha Boisvert, C, Boston University

Sacha Boisvert was one of Chicago's first-round picks (18th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft. He transferred to Boston University after an incredibly strong freshman year at North Dakota. Boisvert is a two-way center who should thrive in his development under BU head coach Jay Pandolfo. 

52. Julius Sumpf, C, Providence 

Julius Sumpf, a fourth-round (98th overall) pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is already looking like a solid selection by Kyle Davidson. Sumpf playing for Providence will make this an exciting team to watch. The program keeps adding talented players who want to play for them, which adds to the competitive balance taking place in Hockey East. 

83. Adam Gajan, G, Minnesota-Duluth

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Slovakian goaltender Adam Gajan with a second-round (35th overall) pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He is now entering his second season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Gajan didn't have a great year in 2024-25, so he is hoping that another year older will allow him to start looking like a highly drafted net-minder. 

This year's group of Blackhawks playing NCAA hockey might not be quite as strong as it was in recent seasons, but this is still a great group. All four of these guys will likely be given the opportunity to be Blackhawks one day, and playing well in college is a key to their journey to the top. 

The first weekend of the college regular season is coming up. For those looking to check out Gavin McKenna's Penn State debut, it can be seen on the NHL's YouTube or NHL Network. That is only one of many reasons to check out the game at this level. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The Philadelphia Flyers may have lost to the New York Islanders in Thursday night's preseason game, but their continued struggles on defense are of much greater concern.

With prospects like Emil Andrae and Helge Grans, at least temporarily, out of the picture, the Flyers have left themselves with Egor Zamula, Adam Ginning, Dennis Gilbert, and Noah Juulsen as their options to comprise the third defense pair.

If head coach Rick Tocchet prefers to keep eight defensemen and the Flyers oblige, then all four players will stick around.

Zamula, 25, is the incumbent in that battle, but his status might not last very long after a series of poor and uninspiring performances in the exhibition games.

On Thursday night, Zamula struggled greatly with unforced turnovers and stumbled to the tune of a 5-1 scoring chance differential and 17-8 shot attempt differential at 5-on-5 on Thursday night - both in favor of the Islanders - according to Natural Stat Trick.

Both Ginning and Zamula are 25 years old and on expiring contracts, but one player is clearly trending up and the other down.

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Tocchet has taken notice of Zamula's struggles, too, and bluntly addressed them after the loss to the Islanders.

"Yeah, he's gotta pick it up," Tocchet plainly assessed. "Yup, definitely."

That's not exactly a ringing endorsement from your head coach with as many as three teammates battling with you for playing time, a place in the lineup, and, potentially, a place on the roster altogether.

Much to the chagrin of Flyers fans, the organization appears to have already made their final decision on Andrae until something changes, and we're left to wonder what a healthy Oliver Bonk could do with this competition had he been available to play.

As for the injured Ethan Samson, I spotted him sporting a brace or cast of sorts on his right hand in the elevator after the game, and he was declared out 6-to-8 weeks by the Flyers last week anyway.

This is all to say that the Flyers have what they have at this point, but if Zamula doesn't tread carefully, Tocchet's patience with him could run out sooner than later.