Blue Jackets sign first-round pick to one-year contract extension

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Corson Ceulemans to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2026-27 season, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell announced on Saturday.

The deal carries an NHL salary of $850,000 and an AHL salary of $95,000, as reported by The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Ceulemans, 23, was selected 25th overall by Columbus in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft and remains under organization control despite having yet to make his NHL debut.

Ceulemans has spent his entire professional career with the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate. Across 157 career AHL games since his 2022-23 debut, he has recorded 14 goals, 31 assists, 45 points, 90 penalty minutes, and 262 shots on goal.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Ceulemans set new personal highs with 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points over 64 games, alongside 43 penalty minutes and 151 shots on net. He led Monsters defensemen in goals and shots on goal, while finishing second among blueliners in points and third in assists.

In the 2025-26 Calder Cup Playoffs, Ceulemans added 3 points in 9 games, continuing his role as a regular contributor on the blue line. He also handled top-four usage and penalty-kill responsibilities during his latest AHL season.

Before turning professional, Ceulemans played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin from 2021 to 2023, producing 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points in 67 games with 71 penalty minutes. In his final collegiate season, he amassed 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 36 games, leading Wisconsin defensemen in scoring categories. Internationally, he won gold with Canada at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championships, compiling 1 goal and 7 assists in 6 games.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 191-pounds, Ceulemans is among the select few first-round selections from 2021 still awaiting an NHL debut. The Blue Jackets, who finished the 2025-26 season with a 40-30-12 record under GM Don Waddell and underwent a coaching change from Dean Evason to Rick Bowness, continue to maintain roster flexibility with approximately $32.3 million in salary cap space.

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