Moore looking for vindication with Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets defensive prospect John Moore came into last year’s fall training camp a long shot to make the roster of the club for the regular season. Moore was sent back to Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League after being one of the team’s top preseason defensemen having a respectable performance in camp. The decision to send him back to the juniors was not made lightly.

During his 2009-10 campaign with Kitchener, Moore was invited to training camp for the United States junior national team to participate in the World Junior Hockey Championship. Much to the surprise of many in the hockey world, he was released from camp.

When the United States won the title, he said it was bittersweet.

Moore is looking for redemption this fall with the Blue Jackets and is hoping to show the United States junior national team why they made a mistake not choosing him.

“I knew I was eventually going back to juniors,” Moore said. “I came in and tried to have fun and enjoy myself but at the same time learn as much as I could. This year, my approach is a little bit similar. I want to enjoy myself and have fun because playing hockey every day is a privilege. But at the same time, I am coming in to earn a spot.”

Moore has a good opportunity this year to make the team despite Columbus returning its entire defense.

“I heard last year he had a good camp and showed lots of good things,” Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel said. “I saw him play a little bit in Kitchener. He might be the kind of guy where his results today may not be a whole lot different in September. The only reason being he is in great shape and working very hard.”

Jackets peg former rival for assistant coach

Just 15 months ago, Dan Hinote was a member of the St. Louis Blues and was in a tough battle with Columbus to get one of the final playoff spots out of the Western Conference. Both teams ended up getting playoff spots, but Hinote knows the Blue Jackets organization very well.

On Thursday, the 33-year-old accepted his first ever coaching job. He is just a season removed from playing as he was with Modo in the Swedish Elite League. Before that, he played for six seasons with Colorado and three seasons in St. Louis.

Hinote is tabbed to bring youthful energy to the coaching staff and locker room. Though he is still young enough to play, Hinote will still be a coach the young players can look up to.

“He is a people person and I saw him out (at training camp) there talking to the young guys and just talking about different things,” Arniel said. “He is an energetic person who gives you everything he has. He is just recently out of the game so when he speaks to those guys, they are going to be pretty keen to listen.”

Hinote can most relate to the players on the third and fourth lines as he never scored more than 15 points in an NHL season. Still the opportunity to coach Rick Nash and Steve Mason is exciting.

“Obviously playing against them and playing with guys that are of equal caliber in my career have prepared me to deal with guys like that,” Hinote said. “I am excited to do so here because I have seen what works and what doesn’t for these types. And if I can help Rick or Mason out with guys based on this is what Patty Roy did or Joe Sakic did, that is my experience that I can help them with.”

Hinote wanted to be back in the NHL last season. He was looking at getting one of the final spots with the San Jose Sharks. Hinote lost out on getting a spot, possibly because former Blue Jackets’ center Manny Malhotra got a job with the Sharks.

Top pick comes ready for action

When Ryan Johansen was selected as the No. 4 overall pick in last week’s NHL Entry Draft, even he thought his chances of being drafted so high was no better than 50/50. But just five days later skating in the city of the team that many said reached to get the Portland Winterhawks center.

Johansen is in Columbus this weekend participating in the Blue Jackets’ annual summer development camp getting his first workouts out of the way as an NHL draftee.

“I think I was a little surprised when I went fourth overall, can’t even imagine that a couple months ago,” he said. “But I knew they had me highly ranked on their charts, and after combine in Toronto, I had a good feel for this team and I felt like they were really interested in me.”

The odds of Johansen being able to join the franchise in the near future is low considering the team has three solid NHL caliber centers and unwillingness to put a prospect on the fourth line. Johansen said he is still going to give his best effort and make the decision for the Blue Jackets difficult.

“He is going to learn what it takes and we’re hoping where John Moore is this year, he becomes that guy next year,” Arniel said. “He needs to get a little bit bigger and stronger, but he is showing lots of his skill and lots of ability.”

Johansen is going to find out quickly how tough it is to gain a spot in the NHL.

“I have to start developing my game,” he said about development camp. “I have to keep moving forward. I think is more detailed when the coaching staff and the trainers are looking at you, they seem more detail on things you need to be improving on. They want you to become the best player you can be capable of.”

Camp isn’t a walk in the park for prospects

With development camp this week, Arniel and his coaching staff are trying to get a good handle on the abilities and skill of the youngest players in the Blue Jackets’ system. There is a mix of players coming from the major junior hockey level as well as the NCAA division one level.

On Friday, the skaters had to participate in a skating drill that was to mimic a shift out on the ice. The coaches were looking for the fastest skating time (which averaged to be 30 seconds) as well as how much a player’s heartbeat recovers following a drill. Players were wearing heart monitors and coaches paid very close attention on it to see how much more conditioning players need to do over the rest of the summer.

“It was pretty tough, the talk amongst the guys in the locker room when we went to sit down… was our legs on a different planet,” Moore said. “I just got tired watching it.”

This is the one chance the coaches get to see of college players who have to pay their way to the development camp per NCAA rules. Miami’s Will Weber and Trent Vogelhuber and Michigan’s Kevin Lynch and Matt Rust to name a few will not be allowed to participate in September’s preseason camp unless they leave college and sign with the Blue Jackets.

Players who come from the major junior level are allowed to participate in training camp and preseason games before returning to their junior teams.

“At the college level, they don’t get to play as many games and they do a lot more off-ice stuff, more practice time than what happens in major junior hockey,” Arniel said. “Certainly the rules restrict what they’re allowed to do when it comes to these camps. They can’t just come to training camp and get that experience that is so important. They pay their own way to come… For us to have them in here this week is so important. We are trying to leave them with something.”