Calvin Thürkauf

November 2019 – Playing in his third season with the Monsters, Calvin Thurkauf is off to a respectable start. In 10 games played, the 6’2 centre has tallied two goals, five assists and a +4 rating. These numbers have him sitting fourth in team scoring and is doing so skating on the squad’s fourth line. The former Kelowna Rocket is in the final year of his entry level contract but has struggled to translate his junior production into the pro rankings. Perhaps an increase in minutes will help the seventh-round pick gain some confidence and chip in a little more on the score sheet. Until than, you can still consider him few years away from any sort of fantasy value, if any at all. Dave Hall

June 2019 – Thurkauf had a forgettable season, scoring just two points in 26 AHL games. The Swiss forward regressed mightily from his 24 points in 2017-18. A lack of production for a seventh-round draft pick is disastrous and can end an AHL career. Therkauf, he has one more year remaining on his contract. With that, he has one more/last chance to prove his worth to the Blue Jackets organization. There is no fantasy value to be had here. Frank Pellegrini

October 2018 – Thurkauf has begun his second campaign in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters, and he is currently pointless through his first three games. While his stats to date may not be impressive, Thurkauf has the talent to remain a solid top-six AHL player. But he needs to play with more consistency if he is ever going to crack the Blue Jackets’ roster. If he ever does, his best case scenario is likely as a bottom-six center. Frank Pellegrini

January 2018 – Thurkauf’s early-year offensive roll has considerably slowed. Without a goal since mid-November, and only three assists in the same span, he’s having a tough time producing with Cleveland’s anemic offense that ranks last in the AHL with 80 goals in 36 contests. Thurkauf has upped his physical presence lately and gained experience centering the Monsters’ top line in the midst of frequent teammate call-ups to CBJ. Kevin Wickersham

November 2017 – Thurkauf has performed well at the start of his initial pro year. Tied with Tyler Motte for Cleveland’s club lead in goals with five, the 20-year-old Swiss forward has excelled in the offensive zone enjoying a sizeable proportion of sheltered minutes, His shot rate is probably unsustainable at 21.7% however. Employing his large frame, Thurkauf exerted a physical presence in juniors which may help as he continues to work on his defensive play while skating next to Sam Vigneault in a third-line role. Should he successfully hone his two-way game at the AHL level, Thurkauf’s road to the NHL might not take as long as that of most seventh-round selections. Kevin Wickersham

September 2017 – In two Traverse City Prospect Tournament games Thürkauf has proven a prolific distributor, tying St. Louis blueliner Jake Walman for tops in assists with four while lining up with top prospects Vitaly Abramov and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Thürkauf added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason which should prove valuable in his first pro campaign, most likely starting at AHL Cleveland. Kevin Wickersham

July 2017 – Thürkauf, Columbus’ final 2016 Entry Draft selection as an overage prospect, shot up the rankings during last year’s 33-goal, 37-assist WHL Kelowna campaign, topped off with eight goals and 13 assists in the Rockets’ postseason run to the Western Conference Finals. Captaining the 2017 Swiss U20 WJC squad featuring Nico Hischier certainly drew greater attention to his growing offensive game. He inked a three-year entry level deal with the Blue Jackets during the tournament and will likely open 2017-18 with AHL Cleveland. Prior to last year, Thürkauf did not profile as a scoring dynamo though he did land 18 goals and 27 assists in 2015-16 while exerting a physical presence on Kelowna’s checking lines and making his points mainly by plowing past and though opponents towards the net. As he makes the jump to stronger competition in the pros, we’ll see if his game diminishes or if his playmaking skills and smarts help him adjust. Kevin Wickersham