Blue Jackets sign Caleb MacDonald to entry-level contract

On Wednesday, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced the team has signed defenseman Caleb MacDonald to a two-year, entry-level contract.

The deal will begin next season.

MacDonald is an undrafted defender who cut his teeth in the junior ranks in Canada before spending the last two years playing NCAA D-I Hockey.

The Cambridge, Ontario native played for the University of North Dakota this season after he was on the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks roster during his freshman campaign. With the Fighting Hawks, MacDonald scored three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 35 appearances, registering a plus/minus of +7.

MacDonald’s production was down a little from his time with the Nanooks. During the 2023-24 season, he notched four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 31 games, with a +13 rating.

MacDonald was one of Daily Faceoff’s top college free agents. Insider Frank Seravalli admits there are some things the 22-year-old has to work on, but he has the size that fits in at the professional level.

“[MacDonald’s] big, he’s tough, he blocks shots,” Seravalli wrote. “His footwork needs work. He’s been on the plus side of the ledger in a big way for North Dakota defensively. There’s some thought that MacDonald isn’t quite ready for the pro game just yet, but a team may be able to lure him out of the NCAA as a late bloomer.”

Despite going relatively unnoticed by NHL teams in his younger years, MacDonald jumped on the radar of college teams, thanks to some solid years with the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In 59 games as an overager in 2022-23, he posted career highs in goals (9), assists (50) and points (59), all while registering 124 penalty minutes.

MacDonald’s play named him to the North Division All-Star Team, as well as winning the W.G. (Bill) Scott Memorial Trophy as the league’s most outstanding defenseman.