Feathering the nest

Falcons coach Brad Larsen doesn't appear to be amused by DBJ's weak play on words.

One area where this blog has been lax has been in coverage of the Columbus Blue Jackets farm system.  In part that's circumstantial - all of the writers are from Central Ohio, and I don't think any of us are glued to our computers to watch pixellated streams of minor league hockey games.  It's also a matter of personal preference, as I and my writers (each under no obligation to write about anything in particular) generally choose to write about that which we see on a day to day basis.

Enter Jon Santer.
Jon is a senior at Springfield College, majoring in sports journalism.  He is an avid hockey fan, writing about the robust New England collegiate hockey scene in his Hockey East Penalty Box blog (...but watch out for my Fighting Irish, coming soon to Hockey East!).  It doesn't end there, though.  He's offered to write about the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and he wants to do it here at Dark Blue Jacket.  OK then!

I'm excited to see what Jon brings to DBJ.  Falcons coverage provides us with insight about the reinforcements that will be coming into Columbus when the injury bug inevitably hits.  It will also inform us on how the CBJ's talent development system is working out - not just on paper but also on the ice.  We could also look at Falcons coverage as a window into future years' editions of the Blue Jackets.  And, in this lousy NHL lockout, Falcons coverage might be the only genuine game coverage that we'll see around these parts for a while!

So welcome, Jon!  I'm looking forward to learning more about life out on the farm.