Blue Jackets assign six players to Monsters

Apr 17, 2024

The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Wednesday that the Blue Jackets assigned defensemen Nick Blankenburg and David Jiricek, forwards Luca Del Bel Belluz, James Malatesta, and Mikael Pyyhtia, and goaltender Jet Greaves to the Monsters.

Blankenburg registered 1-0-1 with four penalty minutes and a +1 rating in 12 appearances for Columbus this season and added 3-10-13 with 20 penalty minutes and a +5 rating in 21 appearances for the Monsters. In 43 appearances for Columbus this season, Jiricek supplied 1-9-10 with 22 penalty minutes and added 7-10-17 with 19 penalty minutes in 26 games with Cleveland. In one appearance for Columbus, Del Bel Belluz notched his first pro goal and a +1 rating and in 55 appearances for the Monsters this season, Del Bel Belluz posted 9-21-30 with eight penalty minutes in the first action of his professional career. Malatesta posted 2-2-4 with five penalty minutes in 11 appearances for Columbus and in 53 appearances for the Monsters this season, Malatesta posted 12-9-21 with 79 penalty minutes. In 19 appearances for Columbus this year, Pyyhtia posted 0-3-3 with two penalty minutes and added 7-20-27 with four penalty minutes and a +1 rating in 57 appearances for the Monsters. In nine appearances for Columbus this season, Greaves went 3-6-0 with a 3.49 goals-against average (GAA) and .908 save percentage (S%). In 42 appearances for the Monsters, Greaves went 27-12-4 with one shutout, a 3.00 GAA  and .907 S%.

A 5’9”, 178 lb. right-shooting native of Washington, MI, Blankenburg, 25, registered 6-12-18 with 24 penalty minutes in 55 career NHL appearances, all for Columbus, spanning parts of three seasons from 2021-24. Prior to his professional career, Blankenburg contributed 25-43-68 with 62 penalty minutes and a +50 rating in 133 career NCAA appearances for the University of Michigan spanning four seasons from 2018-22. In 2021-22, Blankenburg wore the captain’s “C” for Michigan, helped the Wolverines claim the Big Ten Tournament Championship, claimed the Big Ten’s Sportsmanship Award, and was named to the NCAA Lowe’s Senior Class All-American First Team. In 2019-20 and 2020-21, Blankenburg was named to the Big Ten’s Honorable Mention All-Star Team.

A 6’4”, 206 lb. right-shooting native of Klatovy, Czechia, Jiricek, 20, was selected by the Blue Jackets in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2022 NHL…