Blue Jackets Recall Steven Lorentz And Jack Williams

After opening two roster spots by assigning Danton Heinen and Emil Andrae to the minors after the cleared waivers, the Blue Jackets have filled them.  Late Thursday, the team announced that they’ve recalled forwards Steven Lorentz and Jack Williams from AHL Cleveland.

Lorentz was brought over via trade as part of the Kirill Marchenko trade back in September, with his inclusion believed to be to help Toronto’s tagging room challenges (like Andrae was).  The 30-year-old had cleared waivers earlier in training camp, meaning he’s in his first AHL campaign since 2019-20.  Lorentz got off to a good start with the Monsters, notching seven goals and two assists in his first nine games.

A veteran of six NHL seasons so far, Lorentz has played in 381 games at the top level between four different organizations, tallying 36 goals and 44 assists in a little under 11 minutes per night in those outings.  Last season, he had seven goals and 11 helpers in 71 contests with Toronto, playing primarily on their fourth line.  Whenever he sees action with the Blue Jackets, Lorentz is likely to have a similar role but his playing style may be a better fit for that spot than Heinen.

As for Williams, the 24-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into one game with Columbus.  This season, he has a goal and four helpers with the Monsters in seven outings.  He had 15 goals and 23 assists in 72 games with Cleveland last season.

From a salary cap standpoint, the net change from these two being on the roster compared to Andrae and Heinen is minimal.  Columbus will save a prorated $50K in total with these moves, while eating a $325K dead cap charge while Andrae is in the minors.  With the moves, Columbus is back to a full 23-man roster.