The Blue Jackets are down to 10 days before opening night at Nationwide Arena, and jersey No. 10 has had quite the run through Columbus history.
The number has belonged to a little bit of everything: depth forwards, a steady defenseman, a high-end scorer, and now one of the young players the Jackets are counting on to keep climbing. That makes No. 10 one of the more interesting shirts in the team’s history, even if it’s never been worn by one long-tenured franchise icon.
Serge Aubin was the first name to wear it in this rundown, skating for Columbus from 2001-2002 after being drafted by Pittsburgh in 1994. He appeared in 154 games for the Jackets and produced 60 points.
Aubin later headed to Europe in 2006, playing in Switzerland and Germany until retiring in 2012. He’s now the head coach for SC Bern of the Swiss National League.
Trevor Letowski followed from 2004-2006, after being drafted by Phoenix in 1996. Like Aubin, he also finished with 154 games and 60 points in Columbus. His playing career wrapped up with two seasons in the KHL, and he’s been an assistant coach for the Montréal Canadiens since 2021.
Duvie Westcott wore No. 10 from 2007-2008 after signing with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted player in 2001. He logged 201 games for Columbus from 2001 to 2008, scoring 11 goals and totaling 56 points.
He was once described as "a gritty defenseman with a solid all-around game. Has good passing ability and power-play skills."
After his time with the Jackets, Westcott spent the next seven seasons in the KHL, DEL, and Swiss National League before retiring in 2015.
No. 10 then went to Russell from 2009-2012. Drafted by Columbus in 2005, he played 288 games for the club and posted 79 points before being traded to the St.
Louis Blues on November 11, 2011, for Nikita Nikitin. Russell went on to play 912 NHL games and collect 254 points, including six seasons with the Edmonton Oilers.
He retired in 2022.
Marián Gáborík’s stop in Columbus was brief but productive. He wore No. 10 in 2013-2014 after being drafted by Minnesota in 2000, and he recorded 22 points in just 34 games as a Jacket.
Columbus traded him to the LA Kings on March 5, 2014, for Matt Frattin. Gáborík officially retired in 2021 after 1,035 career games.
One scout said of him, "One of the best skaters in the world, Gáborík is known for his explosive speed. He is a highly offensive winger and, thanks to good hands and an extremely sharp shot, an excellent finisher.
On the downside, Gaborik doesn't always think team-first and has also had issues with commitment to defensive play."
Mark Letestu also had his turn in 2013. The undrafted forward out of Elk Point, Alberta, was acquired from Pittsburgh on November 8, 2011, for Columbus’s 4th-round pick.
Across two different stints with the CBJ, he played 255 games, scored 44 goals, and finished with 102 points. He also had a strong run with the Cleveland Monsters in 2018-19, putting up 50 points in 64 games.
His final NHL game came on October 13th, 2019, for the Winnipeg Jets. Letestu moved into coaching in 2021 with the Monsters, stayed there until 2025, then was hired by the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in the summer of 2025 as head coach.
For the upcoming season, he has joined the Vegas Golden Knights as an asst. coach.
Jack Skille wore the number in 2015 after being drafted by Chicago in 2005. He played 61 games for Columbus and had 12 points.
The Jackets signed him as a free agent on July 6, 2013, then later claimed him off waivers on October 5, 2014, and he played 45 games in that second stint. Skille later spent a season in Colorado and a season in Vancouver before heading to Europe in 2017.
He played in Russia, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, retired in 2021, and went into coaching. He served as the skills coach and Director of Skills Development for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, and he’s currently an asst. coach for the Schwenninger Wild Wings of the DEL.
Alexander Wennberg took over from 2017-2020 after being drafted 14th overall in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2014 and followed with three solid seasons, highlighted by a 59-point year in 2016-17.
Columbus signed him to a six-year deal on September 1st, 2017, but Tom Wilson’s devastating check on him in the 2018 playoffs seemed to derail his trajectory. Over the next two seasons, Wennberg totaled only 47 points.
The Blue Jackets bought him out in October of 2020, and the final buyout payment is due this year. Since leaving Columbus, he has played for the Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks.
After that 59-point season, he didn’t top 38 points in a season again until last year’s 55.
Jordan Schroeder wore No. 10 in 2018 after being drafted by Vancouver in 2009. He played 21 games for Columbus and had two points before heading to Europe in 2019. He retired after playing in Sweden in 2025.
And now the number belongs to Dmitri Voronkov, listed here from 2024-2026. Drafted by Columbus in 2019, the big Russian forward has already played 211 games and put up 113 points in his first three seasons.
He’ll be looking to build on that this year if he stays healthy, and he was challenged to arrive at camp in better shape. All signs point to him doing exactly that.
He’s one of the young players expected to take another step as the Jackets chase a playoff push.
There are 10 days until opening night at NWA.
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