Blue Jackets sign Hunter McKown to one-year contract extension

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Friday that the club has signed center Hunter McKown to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Through 68 appearances in 2024-25 with the AHL affiliated Cleveland Monsters, McKown collected 13 goals and 18 assists to finish fourth in team scoring with 31 points combined with 34 penalty minutes and a minus-eight rating. McKown then added another goal and an assist for two points through six outings in the Calder Cup Playoffs. In all, through two seasons in the minors, the 22-year-old native of San Jose, Calif., has totaled 55 points counting 22 goals and 33 assists in 121 career contests.

In 2022-23, McKown made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets, seeing 12 total contests in which he tallied two assists, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-four mark while averaging more than 12 minutes of time on ice per game.

A graduate of the NCAA’s Colorado College Tigers, McKown originally signed with the Blue Jackets in 2023 as an undrafted free agent, agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract. Over three seasons with the Tigers, McKown registered 55 points in 96 career contests, highlighted by a career-high 30-point showing coming in 38 games during the 2022-23 campaign. Prior to committing to Colorado, McKown spent part of two seasons with the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 teams from 2018-20.

With McKown now signed, the Blue Jackets have nine players remaining who can become unrestricted free agents as of July 1, per PuckPedia, a list which includes forwards James van Riemsdyk, Sean Kuraly, Christian Fischer, Kevin Labanc, Luke Kunin, and Justin Danforth, as well as defensemen Jack Johnson, Ivan Provorov, and Dante Fabbro. The Blue Jackets also have three pending restricted free agents highlighted by left winger Dmitry Voronkov.

The Blue Jackets closed out the 2024-25 campaign with a 40-33-9 record and two points shy of the second wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference.