Oct. 2: Clayton, Svozil, and Sawchenko were returned to Cleveland today while Gaudet was released from his PTO, the Blue Jackets confirmed.
Oct. 1: The Blue Jackets have recalled defensemen Cole Clayton, Stanislav Svozil, and goaltender Zachary Sawchenko from AHL Cleveland, general manager Don Waddell announced Tuesday. They’ve also signed forward Jake Gaudet, who is under contract with Cleveland for this season, to a PTO and assigned forward Hunter McKown to the minors.
The moves come with three preseason games still left on Columbus’ schedule this week, including a home-and-home against the Penguins on Thursday and Friday. Adding some of their earlier training camp cuts back to the training camp roster gives them more flexibility to rest their regulars, likely saving most of them for the finale against Pittsburgh.
Clayton, 24, is an intriguing name to watch entering his fourth professional season. The right-shot defender went undrafted out of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, signing an AHL deal with Cleveland in 2021 and spending three years there before landing a one-year entry-level deal with Columbus this past summer.
The Alberta native has good size at 6’2″ and 209 lbs and is coming off a career-best year on the farm, finishing fourth among Cleveland defenders in scoring with 20 points (5 G, 15 A) in 59 games with a +4 rating. His skating is a concern, and he’s not overly physical for his frame, but he does have good playmaking skills and could be a fringe NHL option down the line. He’ll get at least one more chance to prove his worth in exhibition competition before returning to Cleveland in the coming days.
Svozil was a third-rounder back in 2021, later than some thought he’d go after spending nearly the entire season in the top-level Czech Extraliga. Now 21, the left-shot blue liner is coming off a strong rookie season with Cleveland that saw him post five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 57 games with a +1 rating.
He didn’t see NHL action last season but did make his debut at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign, recording an assist and a -3 rating in two appearances. He has two years left on his entry-level contract and is expected to log top-four minutes for Cleveland this year. He should be considered for a mid-season recall if injuries strike.
Sawchenko, 26, was signed purely as organizational depth between the pipes this summer as a Group VI UFA. He spent last season on a two-way deal with the Canucks, but injuries limited him to just six appearances with AHL Abbotsford. He was strong in his limited run, though, posting a 2.12 GAA and .924 SV% with a 4-1-0 record. His career-average .898 SV% in the minors leaves much to be desired, though. He’s the fourth goalie on the Blue Jackets’ depth chart and will serve as the backup to Jet Greaves this season in Cleveland after clearing waivers last Saturday.
Gaudet, 28, will likely get a nice opportunity to skate in an exhibition game but don’t expect it to lead to an NHL deal down the line. The 6’2″, 201-lb center split last season between AHL Cleveland and ECHL Cincinnati, posting 12 points in 49 AHL contests and seven points in 10 ECHL games. He’s spent his entire professional career under contract with Cleveland after a four-year run with UMass, which ended with him captaining them to a national championship in 2021.
McKown, 22, will start the season in Cleveland after being cut from camp for the second year in a row. An undrafted free agent signing out of Colorado College in 2022-23, he played out the final 12 games of the season with Columbus and had two assists with a -4 rating. He didn’t crack the opening night roster in 2023-24, though, and proceeded to post a lukewarm nine goals and 24 points in 53 games with Cleveland.