Blue Jackets make changes to scouting department
Ahead of their 27th season is franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets are shaking up their scouting department.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced on Thursday that the organization is promoting Trevor Timmins to director of amateur scouting, while Ville Siren will become the team’s director of European scouting.
Timmins, 58, joined Columbus as their assistant director of amateur scouting for the 2022-23 season. Before that, he spent 17-plus seasons with the Montreal Canadiens organization, including the last four-plus seasons as their assistant general manager under former general manager Marc Bergevin. He had also acted as Montreal’s director of player development, director of amateur scouting, and director of player personnel. Before joining the Canadiens, he spent 10 years working in the Ottawa Senators organization.
Siren, 62, had been the Blue Jackets’ director of amateur scouting for the last 13 years. Previously, he had worked as a scout for the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals. The Finnish national had a five-year career as a defenseman in the NHL, playing 290 total NHL games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars. He was selected by the Hartford Whalers in the second round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.
Columbus’ training staff is also undergoing changes, as Mike Vogt is stepping down as the team’s head athletic trainer after 18 years in the position. He will remain with the team as an assistant athletic trainer. Tom Bourdon, who served as the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monster’s head athletic trainer last season, will take over for Vogt with the Blue Jackets. Chris Strickland, who has been with Columbus for 18 years, will assume the role of assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist.
The Blue Jackets’ 92 points last season was their best point total in seven years, but they still fell short of the postseason. They are hoping to get back to the playoffs next season for the first time since 2020.
