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3 Things: Traverse City
- Updated: September 15, 2016
TRAVERSE CITY – When the plane lands in an airport tucked within the treetops of northern Michigan, that’s the first indicator that hockey season has arrived.
The Blue Jackets brought their group of top young prospects here to Traverse City on Thursday and they’re treating this as a business trip. A year ago, Columbus won its forth-ever NHL Prospects Tournament title and when the puck drops on Friday night against the host Detroit Red Wings, the drive for five begins in earnest.
If you think this stuff isn’t important, I’ve got news for you. A number of the kids who contributed to the 2014 and 2015 tournament wins were key contributors for a Lake Erie Monsters (now Cleveland Monsters, I know) team that went 15-2 in the Calder Cup playoffs en route to a championship.
And you’ll be hearing from many of those same players (Bjorkstrand, Milano, Anderson, Korpisalo, etc.) when the Blue Jackets open main camp in a week. Player development is a marathon, not a sprint, and every step of the way, these kids have had their hands in something significant.
Not only does this tournament boast great hockey, but it’s exposure to a professional lifestyle and professional way of …
