The Blue Jackets are headed into tonight’s preseason game in Buffalo with a roster that blends NHL experience, AHL regulars and a few younger names looking to make noise early.
Columbus listed 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders for the September 22, 2026 matchup. Among the forwards are Dmitri Voronkov, Miles Wood, Owen Sillinger, Jordan Dumais, Luca Pinelli, James Malatesta, Luke Tuch, Josh Eernisse, Mikael Pyyhtia, Jack Williams and Ryan Lomberg, along with Oiva Keskinen. The group includes players who spent last season with Columbus, Cleveland, Tappara, Laval, Michigan and Calgary.
On the blue line, Jake Christiansen, Carson Soucy, Luca Marrelli, Boston Buckberger, Charlie Elick and Corson Ceulemans are on the list. The goaltending group features Cam Talbot and Evan Gardner.
Several players arrive with notable 2025-26 numbers attached to their names. Voronkov had 63 games with Columbus and produced 17 goals and 15 assists.
Wood played 54 games and finished with 14 points. Pyyhtia posted 49 points in 59 games with Cleveland and added one goal in five NHL games.
Williams logged 38 points in 72 games for Cleveland, while Malatesta scored 10 goals and totaled 18 points in 57 AHL games.
Among the defensemen, Ceulemans put up 24 points in 64 games with Cleveland, while Marrelli had 16 points in 32 games. Buckberger finished with 29 points in 43 games at Denver, and Elick had 20 points in 63 games with Tri-City.
Talbot’s 2025-26 line shows 34 games with Detroit, a 12-9-6 record, a 3.19 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage. Gardner posted a 25-16-6 record with Saskatoon in 52 games, along with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.
The team said the roster is subject to change. Fans can watch the game live on BlueJackets.com and the CBJ App, or listen on 97.1 The Fan.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have A Dante Fabbro Concern To Watch
Preseason injuries are piling up around the league, and the Blue Jackets have their own situation to monitor after defenseman Dante Fabbro left a game with an upper-body injury. Columbus is already in the part of camp where every shift matters, and any interruption to a projected lineup piece gets attention fast, especially on the back end where depth and continuity can be tested in a hurry.
Fabbros exit now sits alongside a handful of other early-camp health concerns elsewhere, with Pittsburgh forward Benjamin Kindel and Rangers forward Adam Sykora both leaving preseason games after lower-body issues, while Penguins winger Ville Koivunen also missed action after taking a puck to the face in practice. For Columbus, the focus is less on the broader preseason churn and more on how quickly Fabbro can get back on the ice and whether this becomes a brief setback or something the Blue Jackets need to track more closely. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have An Opening Night Blue Line Concern
The Blue Jackets were already working through the usual late-preseason roster sorting when the back end took a hit in Mondays game against Detroit. Dante Fabbro, projected to open the regular season on Columbus third defensive pairing, went down with an upper-body injury and did not return, a development that adds a little more uncertainty to a group that was trying to settle into shape before opening night.
For a team that wants stability on the blue line, the timing is far from ideal, especially with the regular season looming. If Fabbro is forced to miss time, veteran Erik Gudbranson looms as the most likely next man up, giving the Jackets a familiar, sturdier option while they wait to see how serious the injury is and how the rest of the defensive picture sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Win Comes With An Early Dante Fabbro Concern
The Blue Jackets got through their first preseason game with a win on the board, but the more immediate takeaway had little to do with the shootout finish. Columbus and its coaching staff were left to monitor Dante Fabbro, who exited early with an upper-body injury after logging a little over 8 minutes and will be reevaluated Tuesday morning, a reminder that September results often matter less than simply getting everyone through healthy.
The game itself never produced a goal in regulation, so the outcome came down to the skills competition and a handful of small details that preseason often magnifies. Columbus will gladly take the victory, but the focus now shifts to Fabbros status and whether the Blue Jackets have to deal with an early defensive absence before the exhibition slate really gets moving. [Read more 🡒]