Life comes at you fast. Just ask Columbus Blue Jackets forward Luca Del Bel Belluz.
The 21-year-old was drafted in the 2nd round, 44th overall, in 2022. After finishing his OHL career, he joined the AHL Cleveland Monsters for 2023-24, where he started slowly but gained traction as the season went on. He was rewarded for his second-half with an NHL call-up for Game 82. He famously scored in his first NHL game on his first shot.
His first professional offseason must have gone well for the lanky forward, as he started this season on fire, being named an AHL All-Star while leading the league in points (17-20-37 in 34 games) at the time of his call-up to the NHL club on Jan 8.
Since then, he's posted an impressive 2-5-7 in nine games with the Blue Jackets, and his spot seems more secure by the day. Talk about a meteoric rise.
Del Bel Belluz is an uplifting story about making your own breaks. Drafted into the OHL at just 5'10", 149 lbs, he was known as a crafty, playmaking type. Today, he's listed at 6'1", 185 lbs, and is better known for his wicked shot and deceptive ability to win puck battles, endearing himself to the coaching staff. In just his second game with the team, Del Bel Belluz was entrusted with a late third-period shift on the road with the game on the line against the St. Louis Blues. That subtle maneuver by Dean Evason surely gave the young forward a vote of confidence, that he's thought of as a well-rounded player, not just an offensive force. The coaching staff has given Del Bel Belluz a completely blank canvas in terms of on-ice favorability. Per NaturalStatTrick, he has 31 offensive zone, 31 neutral zone, and 29 defensive zone faceoff shift starts (5v5).
Playing primarily alongside James Van Riemsdyk and Kent Johnson as the club's 3C, Del Bel Belluz has adapted quickly to a faster but more structured NHL. He fits well on a line where he can be the secondary (or tertiary) option as a puck transporter and support option. The possession numbers have not favored Del Bel Belluz, but his 13:51 average TOI suggests that the coaching staff is willing to let him play through and learn the league as he goes. I'm not suggesting that he is solely responsible for it, but the club is 6-2-1 since his recall.
I've liked Del Bel Belluz since draft day (the name alone is one of the best in the biz).
— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) January 10, 2025
Great value to get this type of profile beyond the 1st round.
He is cooking big time in the AHL this year (D+3) and progressed nicely since draft day. Columbus might have a nice piece! https://t.co/biuJvpqY19 pic.twitter.com/RWf3QRPM25
Watching Del Bel Belluz, a few items stand out. The first is that detractors of his game found that the combination of his league-average skating and his inability to get to the interior (dangerous) ice would mean his game would cap out in the AHL. After all, even a high-end shot is neutralized if it's coming from the outside, at least, in the NHL. But this year, Del Bel Belluz has managed to either a) improve his skating since last year or b) find new ways to get to the interior ice (or both), and I think it's still too early to say exactly which it is. But it's gotten better. Look no further than this goal by Zach Werenski, where Del Bel Belluz attacks the middle ice, draws defenders to him, and then craftfully dishes the puck to Werenski with speed.
Werenski gets his 16th of the season. Luca Del Bel Belluz skates into the zone and finds Z heading up ice with him. He finds him and Z fires it from near the face-off dot to give the #CBJ an early lead. The Kings have since tied it.pic.twitter.com/qXx5BRhTLq
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 26, 2025
The second item is his engagement in puck battles. Watch how he supports Van Riemsdyk after a turnover and chips the puck ahead to Johnson, who buries a quick shot for the goal.
Kent Johnson gets the scoring started for the #CBJ just over seven minutes into the first. His 14th of the season made it 1-0 (it's now 2-0).
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 24, 2025
Great work from Luca Del Bel Belluz to find KJ. Not sure LDBB ever heads back to Cleveland.pic.twitter.com/jqOr8lBBYq
Here's another one, where he supports Johnson, gets a stick on the pass, and then turns it into immediate offense.
This type of play has been a regular occurrence this year, and it's the difference between a solid AHL player and an NHL regular. It's also part of the identity that has allowed the Blue Jackets to become one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL - by turning the puck over on the forecheck and turning plays into offensive chances.
Del Bel Belluz still hasn't been able to unleash his patented shot with much regularity. This is more a testament to the speed of the NHL than a knock on him. How many former Blue Jackets prospects who were known for their goal-scoring failed to materialize because of their one-dimensional game (Emil Bemstrom and Vitali Abramov come to mind as recent examples)?
With players like Sean Monahan, Boone Jenner, and Yegor Chinakhov out of the lineup, Del Bel Belluz has done well for himself to show the coaching staff that he can more than just 'hang' at the NHL level. This is his first real taste of NHL minutes, and the hope is that, even if he is eventually sent back to the AHL, it will have served him well in the long run. As it stands today, it's fair to say that the long-term outlook for Del Bel Belluz is significantly higher than it was even six months ago. He's an NHLer.