On Tuesday, the Blue Jackets signed Northeastern forward Jack Williams after his third collegiate season wrapped up.
The 23-year-old prospect has joined the team and took his first morning skate Friday as the Jackets are in the thick of trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
It’s the culmination of a process that lasted throughout his junior year with the Huskies, during which Williams was one of the top scorers in college hockey with 16 goals and 41 points. Those numbers made him a sought-after player once Northeastern’s season concluded, but in the end, his comfort in Columbus – and with CBJ director of hockey operations Rick Nash – was a major factor in Williams deciding to become a Blue Jacket.
“I thought we built a great relationship," Wiliams said. "Came down to talking at the end, narrowed it down to a couple teams, and Columbus just felt like home. It felt like the right spot for me.”
At Northeastern, Williams was a two-year team captain, recording a stat line of 39-55-94 in 106 games played. During the 2023-24 season, Williams scored the game-tying goal in the Beanpot championship against No. 3 Boston University as the Huskies were en route to back-to-back Beanpot titles.
Although he has many on-ice accomplishments, his best memories from college were the relationships he made with his teammates for three years.
“The memories and the friendships,” he said. “I mean, they tell you about it when you go in, you're gonna meet your best friends and some guys that are gonna be in your wedding.”
The Biddeford, Maine, native is looking to become just the ninth player from his home state to skate in the NHL, joining a list that most notably includes former No. 1 overall pick Rick DiPietro (2000) and current New Jersey Devils defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
To get to this point in his career, he has had to learn how to put in maximum effort, which is what head coach Dean Evason and the rest of the organization is looking for out of him.
“I have to give everything I got and learn as much as I can,” Williams said. “Doing what I've always done, giving 110 percent effort, and showing coaches and teammates what I can bring to the table every single day so that I can gain some trust.”
He joins the Blue Jackets after a long and competitive process. However, when he got to Columbus, he knew it was where he was supposed to be.
“It's been all over the place, a little bit of a long process there,” Williams said. “Great to be here. The guys have been awesome. Everything has been great.”
Williams now joins Jordan Harris and Zach Aston-Reese as Northeastern alumni in the Blue Jackets’ locker room. One of the top players in Northeastern history, Aston-Reese has stayed in contact with his former program and spoke to the team this season during the Hockey East playoffs.
“We had a Zoom call with them,” Aston-Reese said. “We tried to give them some advice on our experience at Hockey East finals. Then, Jack Williams had a couple words at the end. Seems like a mature kid.
“I definitely want to do what I can and make him feel a little more comfortable and give him some advice on transitioning from college life to now being a pro. It's a lot of different lifestyles.”
He was told to watch over Williams, giving the rookie a built-in mentor for the remainder of the season.
“The head coach of Northeastern reached out and said to keep an eye on him,” Aston-Reese said. “Maybe I’ll have him over for dinner.”
Evason noted that while Williams has not been promised any playing time down the stretch as the Blue Jackets are in the thick of a playoff race, he’ll watch the 5-11, 185-pound center at practice and see if he deserves a look during a game. And even though Williams has been with the team for only a few days, he’s already picked up a nickname.
“We started calling him Tiger, by the way,” Evason said, referencing Dave “Tiger” Williams, the NHL’s all-time leader in penalty minutes and a former teammate of the CBJ head coach. “He didn’t know who that was.”
