COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The numbers are staggering, expressing an almost worst-case scenario when it comes to nurturing and developing young talent in the NHL.
Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kent Johnson, who just turned 23, and center/winger Cole Sillinger, 22, have already had five NHL coaches, and they haven't yet completed their fifth season in the league.
Center Adam Fantilli, 21, is on his fourth coach, and he's barely halfway through his third season with the Jackets.
The young players' latest coach walked through the doors of Nationwide Arena earlier this week when Rick Bowness was hired to replace Dean Evason, who was fired Monday after barely 1 1/2 seasons on the job.
Bowness, who is 70 years old, may be old enough to be these players' grandfathers, as he joked Wednesday. (True story, he also coached Sillinger's father, Mike, during the 2003-04 season with the Phoenix Coyotes.)
Bowness' reputation as a master communicator could be very important as these young players—the centerpieces of the Blue Jackets' most recent roster overhaul—are entering the peak production seasons of their careers.
"I've been here for (177) games and I've had four coaches, and every coach brings something different," Fantilli said. "Coach (Bowness) brings a different energy, and I love what he's bringing already to our locker room, just really positive vibes.
"He's very vocal on the bench, which I love. You know exactly what he's thinking, what he wants from you. He talks to you. That's something I've always respected from a coach when he tells you what he wants and what he expects. And he's been pretty clear."
Bowness said he plans to have frequent meetings or conversations with all of his players, not just the younger ones, because communication is key.
He's already moved the pre-practice "here's what we're doing today" meeting from the dressing room -- "too spread out," he said -- to the video room down the hall, which has theater seating so players are side by side and right on top of the film clips.
Asked if he's noticed a difference already, Fantilli smiled.
"Oh, 100 percent," he said. "That's not something I've had a ton of with head coaches during my time here, so it's exciting."
There was the debacle in 2023 when the Blue Jackets hired coach Mike Babcock despite numerous complaints from players at two of his previous stops, the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Babcock was hired in July but never made it to the bench after it was revealed he had searched through players' private cellphone pictures and messages during their offseason meetings. He was fired four days before training camp.
Pascal Vincent was hired on short notice to replace Babcock but only lasted one season behind the bench. One of the complaints during his time in Columbus is that Vincent barely communicated directly with players, even rookies.
Evason was hired to replace Vincent and had an excellent first season in Columbus -- he finished fifth in Jack Adams Trophy voting -- but the Blue Jackets seemed to lose their verve in his second season.
That's why Bowness is here: to bring back the passion and confidence to a club that hopes it can make a second-half run up the standings. After Tuesday's 5-3 win over Calgary, the Blue Jackets climbed out of last place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since Dec. 22.
Next up is a home game Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks, who have lost five consecutive games in regulation and have lost eight games in a row overall (0-6-2). The Canucks' last regulation win came Dec. 19.
Of the Blue Jackets' cluster of young talent, Bowness said, "We're gonna spend a lot of time with them, work with them, do a little video with them,talk to them,get to know them.I have to know what makes them tick.
"I need to spend time with them.These things,they do take time.But I'm gonna watch them play,see what they do well,and let's get started."
If Tuesday's game is an indication, Fantilli and Johnson may be looking at more ice time and more prominent roles.
Johnson played a season-high 20:55 on a line with center Sean Monahan and left winger Boone Jenner, and he had the puck on his stick all game. Though he wasn't credited with any points, it was Johnson’s defensive effort that forced a turnover and led to Jenner’s go-ahead goal with 1:34 remaining.
In his last 14 games under Evason, Johnson played under 10 minutes per game five times. On the season, he was averaging 13:38 per game, more than a 3:30 drop per game from last season, when he broke out with 24-33-57 in 68 games.
Put another way: Luca Pinelli (13:46) averaged more ice time in his three-game call-up from AHL Cleveland.
"We're all excited," Johnson said. "(Bowness) really grabbed the room today. You guys saw it on the ice."
Fantilli, meanwhile, played 20:17, the most he’s played all month. We’ll be watching for more subtle changes with Fantilli, as Evason relied heavily on him, moving him to the top line early in the season when Monahan struggled as he was fighting through injuries.
When the Blue Jackets hired veteran coach Ken Hitchcock in the middle of the 2006-07 season, his first move was to put Rick Nash on the penalty kill. Bowness has hinted that a penalty-kill role for Fantilli, who has averaged just 11 seconds per game on the kill, could be in the offing.
For most of the season, Fantilli has been part of either the second or third pair of forwards used during 3-on-3 overtime, although he was out first in each of the last two Blue Jackets' games that went beyond regulation.
Fantilli, who is currently riding a 13-game goal drought matching the longest of his career, said he’s craving heavy minutes and a more prominent role in key situations.
"That's the number (20 minutes) I want to get to all the time," Fantilli said. "I'm conditioned enough to play that amount and in the style Bones has us playing. It's very fast and it cuts down on shift lengths. You go hard, you get off, and he gets us right back out there."