COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the Blue Jackets battling injuries, the team called up forward Luca Pinelli from the Cleveland Monsters on an emergency recall on Tuesday.
Pinelli, 20, leads the Monsters in goals, points and shots on goal this season with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 16 games since making his professional debut. The forward was selected by Columbus in the fourth round, 114th overall, at the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Blue Jackets have sustained multiple injuries to their forward group in recent days. Kirill Marchenko sat out Monday’s 5-1 loss at Washington with a lower-body injury sustained in a morning skate. The team also lost forward Mathieu Olivier and defenseman Zach Werenski to upper body injuries.
Team reporter Jeff Svoboda posted on X that in addition to Marchenko, Olivier and Werenski, center Sean Monahan did not practice on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday night’s home game vs. the Maple Leafs.
Pinelli, a Stoney Creek, Ontario, native, spent four seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s from 2021 to 2025, accumulating 128 goals and 124 assists for 252 points in 246 games. In his final junior campaign last season, he recorded career highs with 37 goals and 34 assists in 52 games while finishing tied for fifth in the league in power play goals with 15.
At 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds, Pinelli has registered 35 shots on goal through 13 games with Cleveland in the 2025-26 season, ranking second on the team in assists and penalty minutes.