Blue Jackets moving prospects to Cleveland

One of the many off season affiliation changes in the American Hockey League that saw teams bring affiliates a little closer to the parent teams involved the Lake Erie Monsters.

A longtime affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, it makes a lot of sense that the Monsters will now send players to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Avs have instead added the San Antonio Rampage to its nest. The Jackets previously had its farm team in Springfield , MA and that franchise will return as the top feeder for the Phoenix Coyotes this season.

Among the recently signed players that could play in Cleveland this fall (in reverse order of signing dates) are:

Michael Chaput: This 23-year-old forward from Montreal was actually drafted in 2010 by the Flyers in the third round (89th overall) and came to the Blue Jackets a year later in a trade while still playing for Shawinigan of the QMJHL. After playing the 2012-13 season at Springfield, Chaput has split his time between Springfield and Columbus the past two campaigns.

Last season, the 6’1″, 196 lbs. center played 33 games with the Jackets and another 45 at Springfield, collecting 21 points (10g, 11a) at Springfield and five points (1g, 4a) with the parent club.

John Ramage: The Jackets signed this young prospect over the summer , originally drafted in the fourth round (103rd Overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Flames.

Ramage, a 6’0, 201 lbs. defenseman played 57 games at Adironack last season, collecting 15 points (3g, 12a) and 81 penalty minutes and finished the season a -3. The Chesterfield, MO native who played a couple of seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers also made his NHL debut playing a game with the Flames.

Ramage’s father, Rob is a former NHL defenseman as well. The Blue Jackets signed Ramage to a one-year, two-way deal and did not disclose the terms.

Brett Gallant: The Blue Jackets added this hard-nosed left winger who formerly played with the NY Islanders organization to a two-year two-way deal in recent days as well.

Gallant will certainly add some toughness to the Monsters. Last season the 6’0″, 176 lbs. forward collected six points (2g, 4a) with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers while racking up 247 penalty minutes, good enough for second overall in league penalty minute rankings.

Gallant played four games with the Islanders in the 2013-14 season but was limited to just 45 games at Bridgeport last season.

Jaime Sifers: The Jackets re-signed this veteran defender to the lineup on a two-year, two-way deal. The journeyman has made several stops in the AHL and also played three seasons in the German Elite League before returning last season to play a full season with the Falcons.

A 5’11”, 205 lbs. defenseman, Sifers last season picked up 22 points (3g, 19a) in 76 games with Springfield and he finished the season at +1. Sifers could be a leader that makes a difference on a team looking to get back to the AHL post season.

Andrew Bodnarchuk: In another move to strengthen and add character and leadership to its blue line, the Jackets signed Bodnarchuk who was an Assistant Captain on the Calder Cup winning Manchester Monarchs last season.

Bodnarchuk, a 5’10”, 190 lbs. native of Drumheller, AB picked up 25 points (5g, 20a) and finished at +12 with the Monarchs in 61 regular season games, then added another six assists and finished at +8 before hoisting the championship trophy to wrap up a successful post season.

Bodnarchuk was drafted by the Bruins in the fifth round (128th Overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He played five games with the Bruins in 2009-10 and the rest was spent at Providence before he moved into Manchester, top feeder in the Los Angeles Kings’ organization to start the 2012-13 season.

Ryan Craig: The Blue Jackets announced the return of the Springfield Falcons’ captain, Ryan Craig along with three other players recently. The 6’2″, 212 lbs. forward from Abbotsford, BC is an AHL vet.

Originally drafted in the Eighth Round (255th Overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2002, Craig spent the first seven years of his career in that organization before moving on to Pittsburgh in 2010-11 and Columbus three seasons later. A leader in the AHL, Craig has also been called up to play with all three of the parent teams, totaling 198 NHL games and a total of 63 points (32g, 31a).

Last season, the forward collected 37 points (17g, 20a) with the Falcons and also appeared in a couple of games in Columbus.

Craig will almost certainly wear the ‘C’ for the Monsters this season.

Trent Vogelhuber: Since being drafted in the Seventh Round (211th Overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, this 6’2″, 185 lbs. native of Dublin, OH has been a part of the Jackets’ organization, mostly in Springfield.

Last season, Vogelhuber collected 16 points (8g, 8a) in 64 games with the Falcons — his best offensive season to date with the club.

Seth Ambroz: The Jackets are hoping for big things out of this 6’3″, 216 lbs. prospect who hails from New Prague, MN and was selected in the Fifth Round (128th Overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Ambroz finished three seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL before being drafted and moved on to play four seasons with the University of Minnesota. He got hist first taste of pro after graduating this spring when he played the final four games with the Springfield Falcons. Ambroz has built a reputation of being a big solid forward that works equally as hard in the defensive zone as he does in the offensive zone.

Oleg Yevenko: Another young prospect, Yevenko is a 24-year-old product of Minsk, Belarus who took something of a non-traditional route to the pros for someone from Eastern Europe. After playing a couple of seasons in the USHL with Fargo, he played D1 College hockey at U-Mass, wrapping up his fourth and final season this past spring, then getting a four-game pro internship at Adirondack.

Yevenko, a massive 6’7″ 229 lbs. defenseman is a defensive defenseman who needs some time to get comfortable at this level.