In the leadup to training camp in September, BlueJackets.com is featuring CBJ players each weekday this summer.

Justin Danforth

2023-24 Stats

How he got here: Nothing has come easy for Danforth, who didn’t make his NHL debut until age 28 with the Blue Jackets three seasons ago. Danforth didn’t play in the CHL and then spent four years at Sacred Heart University, where he had a 20-goal campaign as a junior. He then traveled the world playing hockey from the ECHL (Cincinnati) to the Finnish Liiga (Lukko) to the KHL (Vityaz Podolsk). Three excellent seasons overseas and an appearance on the Canadian World Championships team in 2021 led to NHL interest, and the Blue Jackets signed him that summer.

The 2023-24 season: Danforth lost most of the 2022-23 campaign to a shoulder injury, so it was good news that he was able to stay healthy and play the majority of this past season with the Blue Jackets. While he spent most of the season in the bottom six, Danforth moved up and down the lineup and earned both power play and penalty kill time while turning in his second season of double-digit goals at the highest level. You know what you’re going to get out of Danforth, as he plays a dependable brand of hockey with a high motor while adding some scoring touch.

Top moment: It’s always special when a Canadian kid gets to play close to home, and Danforth had a game to remember in the Blue Jackets’ 6-5 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Dec. 14. Danforth had one of his three multipoint games on the season in the victory, chipping in a goal and an assist in the CBJ victory. His tally gave the Blue Jackets a 3-0 lead in the second period, as he forced a turnover in the offseason zone before banking the rebound of Ivan Provorov’s shot off goalie Ilya Samsonov and into the net.

Fun fact: Just call him a pioneer among Pioneers – when he made his debut in 2021, Danforth became the first product of Sacred Heart’s hockey program to make it to the NHL. He’s since been joined by Pittsburgh’s Marc Johnstone, and there could be more on the way as the university in Connecticut opened a $70 million arena last January.

Stat to Know: Just how unique was Danforth’s debut? Of the 133 players to make their NHL debuts with the Blue Jackets in franchise history, he was the third oldest at 28 years, 245 days, behind only Fredrik Norrena and Gregory Hofmann. Over the past five seasons, only six full-time players have been older at the time of their NHL debuts (seven if you count emergency goalie David Ayres).

Expectations for 2024-25: Danforth has spent the past three seasons establishing himself at the NHL level, and he’ll have to keep playing the same kind of high-energy game that got him to the top. In general, he’s a coach’s dream, a low-maintenance player who brings the same level of effort on a daily basis. Coaches also love his versatility, as he can play center and wing, slot up and down the lineup, and skate on both the power play and penalty kills when needed. He’ll be expected to bring all that again as well as chip in offense when the opportunity arises.