Jackets’ Nutivaara enjoying healthy confidence boost

Markus Nutivaara knows that consistency has occasionally eluded him during his first two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Now, for the first time in three years, the 24-year-old defenseman’s body allowed him to report to camp fully prepared.

It’s amazing what a healthy offseason can do.

“First time in three years I was healthy the whole summer,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “I feel good. I did a lot of leg work. I wanted to get faster. I think that worked out pretty good and I feel pretty good right now and my legs are strong.”

For the last two years, hip issues have conspired to hold Nutivaara back. Last year, he opened the season with American Hockey League affiliate Cleveland while recovering from hip surgery and spent his first five games there. Once recalled, he set career highs in goals (seven), assists (16), points (23) and time on ice per game (16:02) despite also missing 11 games with an upper-body injury.

It has coach John Tortorella seeing some of what Nutivaara said he felt entering camp.

“He has a lot of confidence now, where he tiptoed a little bit early on,” he said. “I think he feels he can be a really good player. When you have that confidence that’s on the right side, you start to think, ‘I can be better.’ And he has to start thinking that.”

Helping along those lines is Nutivaara’s first-ever appearance for the Finnish national team. He played in the World Championships this summer and had three goals and six assists in eight games to help the team reach the quarterfinals.

Add that to his health, and Nutivaara said he feels ready to live up to Tortorella’s challenge.

“I think the mindset is way better,” Nutivaara said. “I think the biggest point is the confidence. You can build it up from the start of the summer and now you’re here.”

After the Blue Jackets released 24 players from preseason camp on Monday afternoon, they took 23 with them to Clinton, New York, for Tuesday night’s preseason game.

That left 11 behind in Columbus where, under the watch of assistant coach Brad Larsen, they went through an intense and spirited hourlong practice at the OhioHealth Ice Haus.

In addition to conditioning drills, the players took part in systems work and one-on-one and twoon-two corner battle drills before finishing with some shootout practice against goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

“I’d say that was the first time I’ve had an 11-man skate in a training camp,” forward Oliver Bjorkstrand said. “That was a little different, but it was a good skate.”