The Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Mikael Pyyhtia, who spent most of last season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Pyyhtia, 24, agreed to a two-year contract that’s a two-way NHL/AHL deal for the upcoming season and a full one-way NHL pact in the second year.
According to PuckPedia, Pyyhtia will be paid $875,000 at the NHL level next season and $200,000 at the AHL level. He’ll make $875,000 no matter which level he plays in 2027-28, which is an indication the Blue Jackets think he could earn an NHL spot.
“Mikael is a versatile, two-way forward who brings speed, energy and competitiveness to the lineup,” Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “He was very good in Cleveland last season, and we are excited about his future.”
Pyyhtia made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets by playing two games at the end of the 2022-23 and played 17 more games for them in 2023-24. He got his most extensive NHL use at the start 2024-25 in former coach Dean Evason’s first season, contributing four goals, three assists and seven points while skating in a defensive role on the fourth line.
Pyyhtia is from Turku, Finland, and was selected by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. He has totaled just 11 points on five goals and six assists with a minus-19 plus/minus rating in 71 career NHL games, but an offensive breakout with the Monsters last season could give him a leg up at training camp.
Pyyhtia, who stands 6 feet and 178 pounds, set AHL career highs in 2025-26 with 21 goals, 28 assists and 49 points, which included seven power play goals, three short-handed goals and 126 shots in 59 games. He led Cleveland in short-handed goals and ranked second in goals, points and power-play goals (tied).
Pyyhtia has added a combined 4-7-11 in 28 AHL playoff games over three years for the Monsters, whose head coach, Trent Vogelhuber, is expected to be named an NHL assistant for Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness.
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets re-sign depth forward Mikael Pyyhtia
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
