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Luca Del Bel Belluz was the game’s first star on Thursday night. (Photo by Ben Jackson/NHLI via Getty Images)

Blue Jackets’ Del Bel Belluz Deserves a Chance in 2025-26 Season

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By William Espy | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 9:35 AM ET

Heading into the 2025-26 season, it seems like the majority of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ opening night roster is simple enough to predict. Yet, every season it seems, there’s someone who throws a wrench in the organization’s plans and forces themselves into the conversation for one of the final roster spots. This season, Luca Del Bel Belluz could be that player for the Blue Jackets.

Smooth Transition to the Professional Game

The Blue Jackets drafted Del Bel Belluz in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft with the 44th overall selection. During his draft year, many were concerned that his skating could limit his ability to make the jump to the professional game. “The issue with Del Bel Belluz’s game is one of translatability,” Elite Prospects said in their 2022 Draft Guide. “His skating and low pace of play, both in terms of movement and speed of decisions, limit his upside. His high-stance striding affects his ability to handle, to spot options, to get to the right spot to create plays, his puck protection… every facet of his game” (from ‘2022 Elite Prospects NHL Draft Guide,’ Elite Prospects, June 15, 2022).

While he has been far from a perfect player since turning professional during the 2023-24 season, Del Bel Belluz has certainly been productive. During his first season in the American Hockey League with the Cleveland Monsters, he recorded 31 points, nine of which were goals, through 58 games. His production during the postseason did dip quite a bit, though, as in nine playoff games, he had just a single goal and an assist.

That same season, though, Del Bel Belluz made his NHL debut and made an instant impression. On April 16, 2024, he took the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes, and even though he had less than ten minutes of ice time, he notched his first career goal in the NHL.

Although he’d return to the Monsters for the majority of the 2024-25 season, when Del Bel Belluz was recalled by the Blue Jackets, once again, he made an immediate impact, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his first NHL game of the season against the Seattle Kraken. Ultimately, he’d play a total of 15 games for the Blue Jackets during the season and finished with eight points in the NHL.

At the AHL level, though, he took a massive step forward in terms of production. In 61 games, he scored 27 goals and tallied a total of 53 points.

Some Doubts Remain

At just 21 years of age, Del Bel Belluz has plenty of development ahead of him; however, he’s already shown he can be a high-level performer at the AHL level. Naturally, making it to the NHL is going to be the next step in his career, assuming it follows a linear path. His skating issues haven’t been a major issue yet; however, many still wonder if that will prevent him from becoming a full-time NHL player.

While points are a great benchmark for a player’s production, they’re far from everything. Skating and mobility issues in particular are one of the most difficult things for a prospect to overcome, and although they haven’t limited his offense, they’re still clearly present.

Overall, Del Bel Belluz has the offensive talent to be in the NHL as early as this coming season. Although there will be some tough competition, he could be a dark horse for a roster spot when opening night comes around. With that being said, he’s still a bit of a project even though he’s been performing well. As a result, it’ll be interesting to see how the Blue Jackets handle his development, specifically when it comes to his skating, moving forward.