The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff race on the ice. But behind the scenes, they’ve been busy working to bring new talent into the organization.
This past week, they were able to land a top NCAA free agent.
The Blue Jackets signed Northeastern captain Jack Williams to a two-year entry-level contact. It was the culmination of a season’s long desire to bring him to Columbus.
The Blue Jackets were able to beat out at least 15 NHL teams for Williams’ services. He skated for the first time with the team on Friday morning at their optional skate. He opened up about the process of choosing the Blue Jackets and what made it the right move at the right time.
For Williams, he said something pretty powerful when discussing his choice.
Columbus Felt Like Home
“It was a real process throughout the year,” Williams said. “Kind of talked with Rick (Nash) throughout the year and kind of a bunch of the development staff. I thought we built a great relationship. (It) came down to talking at the end to narrow it down to a couple of teams. And Columbus just it felt like home and it felt like the right spot for me.”
It’s been a whirlwind week for Williams. He signed his ELC on March 25. He then took his time to get to Columbus as he said he was a little under the weather.
The team welcomed Williams right from the time the news came out. Both Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski sent him a text welcoming him to the team. Upon his arrival in Columbus, he met the rest of the team including a quick, handshake meeting with head coach Dean Evason.
“Just trying to soak everything in, take in as much information and just the surroundings and the guys that I can learn as much information as I can and hopefully apply it down the road.”
Williams will not be escorting the Blue Jackets on the trip to Ottawa Saturday. He will be staying back to skate. He hopes to get his legs under him after being off the ice for a little bit.
At this point, the Blue Jackets just want Williams to settle in and get comfortable with his new surroundings.
“Give everything I got and just try to learn as much as I can,” Williams said of what’s expected at practice. He knows that it will take hard work to crack the lineup knowing that they’re in the middle of a tight playoff race.
The newest #CBJ, Jack Williams, is…
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