Jackets open pre-season camp
By Dave Seaman, Columbus Wired

The sights and sounds of hockey have returned to Nationwide Arena.

Training camp has opened and the Columbus Blue Jackets look to find success in ways they never have before. This means earning enough points to earn a playoff berth for the first time in franchise history.

The make-up of the team is drastically different with up to eight new faces in the line-up. R.J. Umberger, Kristian Huselius, and Raffi Torres join the Jackets’ offense as well as former top draft picks Derick Brassard and Jake Voracek.

The newly formed defense includes Fedor Tyutin, Christian Backman and Mike Commodore. Tyutin and Backman came to Columbus from the New York Rangers, in a trade for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritche.

The key for this team will be how fast they come together, gel, and for coach Ken Hitchcock to find forward lines and defensive pairings.

“We have to gel together quick,” Jackets captain Rick Nash said. “There are a lot of new faces, lines and match-up’s. It’s going to be interesting to see how fast we can (come together).”

With all the new players, Nash and Manny Malhotra ran “captains practices” in the days leading up to the official start of training camp. The “practices” were pick-up games without any coaching, but it gave the players a chance to get more skating time together before Hitchcock and his staff took over on Saturday.

“Everyone looks at this as the best opportunities of their lives to make an impression,” Hitch said on Wednesday. “With this many new faces, you see an intense focus before we hit the ice. The best read for me is the enthusiasm of the veteran players returning.”

With only three practice days until the first exhibition game Tuesday in Chicago, Hitchcock split the 60-plus players in camp into two groups and the top group includes the ones most likely to play come Oct. 10 when the regular season begins. The coach said he would be focusing on two things early in camp.

• Who’s making the club—especially rookies Voracek, Brassard and 2008 first round draft pick Nikita Filatov.
• Integrating those rookies with the veterans.

“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Hitch said. “We have young guys ready to play. They want to look good during in camp and during exhibition games.”

For those who have a spot locked up like goaltender Pascal Leclaire, training camp is a chance to get back into game-shape, but he can’t wait for when the games to count.

“The regular season is way more fun because you are playing for real and with the whole team,” he said. “During camp, its different teams, different line-ups every day. You have to adjust the new things being thrown at you, but it’s a normal part and important part for every team.”

After starting the preseason on the road for two games, the Jackets host Nashville Friday at 7 p.m. to open the home portion of the exhibition schedule.