Werenski taking game 'to another level' for Blue Jackets ahead of Olympics

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Zach Werenski is one of the top defensemen in the NHL and unquestionably one of the leaders of Team USA heading into the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

He's on pace to shatter his NHL career highs in goals and points this season, and the Columbus Blue Jackets have been on an absolute heater since Rick Bowness became coach Jan. 12.

And since Bowness took over, Werenski's game has gone to another level. That's bad news for the rest of the NHL and -- starting next week -- the rest of the world.

"I feel like I'm in a good spot right now," Werenski told NHL.com at the team hotel before a 3-0 win at the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. "I'm just ready to go over to the Olympics and hopefully carry it over.

"You know, confidence is everything. I feel like right now I'm playing with a lot of confidence, so, yeah, I'm excited to go over there and see what I can do."

What can't he do?

Over 10 NHL seasons, all with Columbus, the 28-year-old has 446 points (133 goals, 313 assists) in 619 games. He finished second last season in voting for the Norris Trophy awarded annually to the best defenseman in the NHL. Heading into the Olympic break, he leads the Blue Jackets and is second among NHL defensemen with 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists), just a point behind Evan Bouchard (63 points; 15 goals, 48 assists) of the Edmonton Oilers.

He's the only defenseman to lead his team in scoring this season and is third in scoring among all United States NHL players going to Milan. Fifteen of his points (four goals, 11 assists) have come in the 11 games since Bowness replaced Dean Evason.

"It's been a pretty crazy difference how much he's helped me the last two weeks," Werenski said. "I feel like right now, I'm kind of on the top of my game, not offensively, just a full 200-foot game."

That's incredible news for the Blue Jackets and Team USA.

Columbus, which was last in the Eastern Conference when the coaching change was made, has gone 10-1-0 since and is four points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For Team USA, Werenski's timing couldn't come at a better time ahead of its Olympic opener against Latvia (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, SN, CBC) on Feb. 12, exactly one month after Bowness arrived in Columbus and helped Werenski become an even better defensemen.

"He's helped me so much positionally in the 'D' zone," Werenski said, "probably things that people don't notice, but I notice. I feel like my game is, like I said, probably in the best spot it's been in all year, and it's a big credit to him. He's shown me a lot of clips. He's talked to me a lot about certain plays, the mindset of it all, and I feel like I'm a good spot right now."

The numbers back it up. He's on pace for 93 points, which would surpass his previous NHL career high of 82 (23 goals, 59 assists) from last season. His 20 goals are three fewer than his career best of 23, also set in 2024-25.

None of this comes as a shock to Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner.

"I mean, he seems to always take it to another level, right?" Jenner said. "An incredible player, incredible teammate to have and he drives the bus for us from the back end. He plays so many minutes. He defends so well but obviously brings a ton of offense for us too, so the way he skates and controls the game is huge for us."

Bowness' arrival in Columbus and Werenski's subsequent rise to another level -- if that even seems possible -- is a huge boost for the United States as it looks to win Olympic gold in men's hockey for the first time since the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.

Bowness, a longtime NHL coach who recently guided the Dallas Stars from 2019-21 and the Winnipeg Jets from 2022-24, and was an analyst on "NHL on TNT" until he came to Columbus, said he knew Werenski was a good player, but didn't know how good.

"I've always had tremendous respect for him as a player, but he's a better player than I thought," Bowness said. "Out west in Dallas and Winnipeg all those years, I only saw him twice a year, right? So, you don't really get a feel for a player. You know that he's a key part of their team."

Bowness said he's been most impressed by Werenski's ability to stay calm under pressure even in the most crucial points of a game.

"When you watch him every day, [you notice] his ability to slow the game down," Bowness said. "He'll take the puck behind the net and just slow things down, or he'll make the right play. I love that about him. Very few defensemen will do that. A lot of guys, they're under pressure, they get it and they flip it out. He hangs onto the puck and just takes it to a quiet area and slows things down.

"His offensive numbers speak for themselves. Certainly, you want to talk about that, but it's just as important what he does when he has to slow the game down, when things aren't going well, in the third (period) in our zone, he has that ability to take it to a quiet zone, hang on to the puck, let things settle down. And I love that about him."

There's not much to love about Werenski. In addition to his big numbers, he's a workhorse for the Blue Jackets, averaging 26:22 of ice time per game, second in the NHL behind Team USA teammate Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild (27:52).

He's also shown he can handle the international stage. Last season, he had six points (all assists) and was plus-3 for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He then helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 IIHF World Championship with six points (one goal, five assists) and a plus-9 rating in seven games.

Under Bowness' tutelage, Werenski heads to Milan playing his best hockey, which is great news for Team USA and the Blue Jackets once their playoff chase resumes Feb. 26.

"I think he just keeps getting better and better, and you can see that," Jenner said. "He's so important for us, and what he's bringing right now is huge and is helping us big time."