Josh Eernisse is bringing his game - and a little bit of Michigan - to the Blue Jackets.
The former Wolverines forward signed a one-year deal for the 2026-27 season after Michigan’s semifinal loss to Denver at the 2026 Frozen Four, then headed to Cleveland as the organization pushed into its own playoff run. He’s the latest name to move from Ann Arbor to Columbus, joining a pipeline that already includes Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson.
“I mean, there was kind of a running joke that it's a feeder program now, right? It's the Columbus Wolverines, which might not sit very well,” Eernisse said.
That path started far from Columbus. Eernisse grew up in Minnesota, but he wasn’t born into a hockey family.
He was the first skater in his household, and the sport came into his life through an at-home day care run by family members of Tom Kurvers, the Minnesota hockey legend. Kurvers’ nephew got him interested, and from there the game took hold.
“By the time I came to be 4 or 5 years old, he was going through high school,” Eernisse said. “We'd go shoot pucks in the garage, we'd play NHL on, I'm not sure what console it was at the time, but play a little bit of video games, and then I started learning to skate when I was 3 or 4 years old, so really young. I just kind of stuck with it.”
From there, hockey carried him all over the country. He played high school hockey, then juniors in Nebraska, then started college back home at St. Thomas before spending three years at Michigan and leaving behind a decorated NCAA résumé.
At Michigan, Eernisse played in two Frozen Fours, won a Big Ten Tournament championship, and piled up academic honors as well: the NCAA Elite Scholar Athlete Award for men’s hockey with a 3.97 GPA, two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, plus the Big Ten Medal of Honor and Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
And he wasn’t just a student-athlete in the usual sense. Michigan coach Brandon Naurato told The Michigan Daily at the Frozen Four on April 8, “If (Eernisse) plays his last game Saturday (April 11), or he plays in 20 years in the NHL, Josh Eernisse is going to be a high performing person in society, a business owner, a father, a husband,”
Eernisse also brought value on the ice. He logged steady minutes on a line that mixed veterans and rookies, helped power the NCAA’s most productive offense in the 2025-26 season, and contributed on the penalty kill. He tied for second in college hockey with three shorthanded goals this past year and finished his senior season with 11 goals and 19 points in 38 games.
At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, he’s the kind of player opponents notice right away. He’s also the kind of teammate everyone wants in their corner.
Now he’s in the middle of his second Columbus development camp, still getting chances to play and learn. He skated alongside players he had never met, others he had battled plenty of times, and even former teammates. He had two goals in yesterday’s Stinger Cup game.
“Now that I've graduated, I won't be with (the college players) anymore next year, so it's kind of fun,” said Eernisse. “It's almost reminiscing and being able to relive some of those times, which are great experiences and great memories for me.
So I've enjoyed it a lot, and it's always fun to just get to know people on the other side. Obviously in the game guys are so intense and you line up against other guys, but when you get to be like buddies with them too, it's pretty cool to see both sides of it.”
After signing with Columbus this spring, Eernisse joined the Monsters on a pro tryout contract for the rest of their season. He appeared in Cleveland’s late-season game against the Grand Rapids Griffins, where Michigan teammate Kienan Draper signed.
He’s still looking for his first AHL point, but that’s a target for 2026-27. For now, he’s focused on settling in, learning the organization, and taking whatever details he can from the people around him.
“It'll just be fun to be around again and continue to learn,” Eernisse said. “They have all the player development staff here, all the coaches, like everybody's here, so get to know everybody a little bit more involved in the organization, more of the prospects, and build those relationships, and then continue to walk away with little things that I can work on and little habits, little details and things like that.”
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Fans Finally Got Clarity On A Tense Core Situation
For a stretch this summer, Kirill Marchenkos future was one of the more uneasy talking points around the Blue Jackets, but general manager Don Waddell has now made it clear the winger is staying put for the upcoming season. That comes with some welcome stability for Columbus, especially with Marchenko entering the final year of his contract and headed toward restricted free agency next summer.
Zach Werenski added to that sense of calm by saying he is happy to be back with the Blue Jackets after his own trade chatter had briefly put the spotlight on the teams core. Between Marchenkos status and Werenskis decision to remain in Columbus, the Jackets have at least answered two of the biggest questions hanging over the roster, even if the longer-term picture still has a few important pieces to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Rebuild Looks Different After One Near Franchise-Changing Move
For a franchise that has spent most of its life searching for stability, the last few years in Columbus have at least pointed in the same direction. The Blue Jackets have been rebuilding since 2021 and have improved their points total every season, with president and general manager Don Waddell continuing to reshape the roster around a younger core and a different identity.
That process has already brought in players such as Ryan Lomberg and Phoenix Copley while moving on from familiar names, including longtime captain Boone Jenner. The biggest reason the rebuild looks different now, though, is that defenseman Zach Werenski is still here after using his no-movement clause to block a trade, leaving Columbus with one of its most important players in place and a bigger question hanging over what comes next for him. [Read more 🡒]