To put it mildly, Jake Christiansen knows his way up and down Interstate 71.
Three seasons ago, he made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets and played in eight games while skating in 62 contests with the team’s AHL affiliate in Cleveland. In 2022-23, he played a career-best 24 NHL games and 50 more with the Monsters; last year, he had 12 games in Columbus and 62 in Cleveland, where he was an AHL All-Star.
For the entirety of that time, he was seemingly on the bubble of sticking with the Blue Jackets, but it just never seemed to happen. But along the way, the defenseman kept his spirits up and just kept working on his game.
“I think you learn so much from every call-up, every send down, every game in the AHL and so forth,” Christiansen said. “There are so many things I’ve learned along the way, and my game has changed a lot from the first time I got my chances in the NHL. It’s hard to name one because it’s been four years of continuous learning.
“You never give up, obviously. Just keep working hard, because there were times there where I would get sent down for the third, fourth, fifth time. It could be a little discouraging, but you just learn through it. It’ll all work out if you keep grinding and keep working on your game and getting better.”
Through 11 games of the Blue Jackets season, it’s fair to say it has worked out for the 25-year-old blueliner. A strong training camp earned him a spot on the opening night roster, and Christiansen has spent the start of the season on the second pair with Damon Severson. So far, he’s chipped in four assists while skating 16:39 per night, and he and Severson have been on the ice at 5-on-5 for 11 goals for and nine against.
Along the way, he’s started to show the game that made him a standout performer in juniors (22 goals and 50 points in 38 games his final year of junior hockey with Everett of the WHL) as well as one of the AHL's top defensemen. He’s just one of two blueliners at that level to score at least 10 goals each of the past three seasons, totaling 37 goals and 125 points in 174 games with Cleveland in that span.
Playing in a system that encourages defensemen to be active, Christiansen has used his smooth skating skills and the offensive instincts he showed in the minors to be a natural fit in head coach Dean Evason’s system.
“I think the style that Dean is coaching allows the defensemen to get more involved, and I’ve had more confidence to join the rush,” Christiansen said. “It’s probably a combination of continuing to work on that in the summer, being more comfortable at this level and then the style of play that we’re playing.”
Evason has spoken repeatedly about players having a clean slate when he took over, and it’s fair to say Christiansen has made the most of that as he’s earned and held on to his spot thus far.
“There was a position open,” Evason said. “When we went through training camp, he was the one that stepped into that spot. He did earn that position, and he’s played extremely well (in the early going). By all accounts, he’s done that last year in Cleveland as well, so he’s been a real good fit for us early in the season.
“(Christiansen and Severson) both have great skill, but they’ve simplified the game where they’re playing north, they’re playing fast. We’re not messing around with the puck in our zone. They’re getting it up and they’re getting it going. They’re both great skaters. They’re both joining the play, which we want all our defensemen to do.”
For Severson’s part, he was happy to have another Western Canadian on his side, as Christiansen hails from the Vancouver area while Severson is from Saskatchewan. Whether that’s helped the two develop chemistry quickly or if their games just mesh, they’ve had success in the early going.
“He’s played really well so far, a lot of confidence,” Severson said. “I’m trying to help as much as I can and do my part as well, but he’s done well helping me out and I feel I’m doing my best to help him out as well. I think the chemistry is there. We both like to move the puck and get up in the play and possess it as well. We want to play with the puck rather than playing defense. We’re playing to our strengths right now and hopefully continue to do that.”
There may also be one more key to Christiansen’s success. After nagging hip troubles the past few seasons, he said he worked a lot smarter instead of harder in the offseason, spending less time on the ice but taking a more targeted approach to training. He also switched up his workout routine to attack the issue, all in an effort to feel better in games.
“Just having a free mind with no pain is something that goes a long way,” he said. “I gotta knock on wood now. I am just trying to keep my body as dialed in as I can so my mind can work freely.”
Add it all up and things have been working for Christiansen this season, something he never doubted would happen.
“I felt like I could be at this level and I had the abilities to play at this level,” he said. “I love playing hockey, so it’s not like I was completely grinding (in the AHL). I was enjoying every day, and we went on that playoff run (last season). I’m not looking too far forward, just being where I am at the moment and trying to help the team win.”
