Alumni

30+ alumni have laced up the skates at the professional level, including five players with the hometown Columbus Blue Jackets and six with their AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters.

When it comes to firsts, it was Dublin native Trent Vogelhuber that pioneered the hockey pathway for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program. A member of the inaugural AAA team in 2004, Vogelhuber was able to advance his career with the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits where he recorded 26 points in 31 games during the 2006-07 season and accepted a scholarship offer from Miami University.

In the summer of 2007, Vogelhuber made more history when he became the first native of Central Ohio to ever be selected in the NHL Draft when he was taken in the 7th round (211 overall) by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was also selected in the 1st round (5th overall) in the USHL Draft by the Des Moines Buccaneers.

From 2008-2012, Vogelhuber enjoyed a successful college career at Miami University where he recorded 51 points in 149 career games. Vogelhuber played in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back Frozen Fours. He was a key member of the RedHawks 2009-10 CCHA regular season title and 2011 Mason Cup playoff championship. In 2009, Vogelhuber scored a 3rd period goal to give Miami a 3-1 lead in the Division I national championship game.

Following his time at Miami, Vogelhuber played seven professional seasons in the American Hockey League for the Springfield Falcons, Lake Erie Monsters and San Antonio Rampage scoring 24 goals and 89 points in 301 career professional games. In 2015-16, Trent helped the Monsters capture their first Calder Cup in franchise history.

Since retiring in 2018, he spent four seasons developing the Blue Jackets' top prospects as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Monsters. On June 8, 2022, Vogelhuber was named the 7th head coach in Monsters history. In 2024, he coached the North Division in the AHL All-Star Classic.

A native of Dublin, Ohio, Connor Murphy is currently in his 13th NHL season and serves as an assistant captain with the Chicago Blackhawks. A veteran of more than 800 NHL games, Murphy signed a four-year contract extension with Chicago in 2021. He made history on November 6, 2013, becoming the first alumnus of the AAA Blue Jackets program to play in—and score a goal during—an NHL game. In 2022, Murphy was nominated for the NHL’s prestigious King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice while making a significant humanitarian impact in the community.

In 2011, Murphy became the first OBJ alumnus to be selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft when he was chosen 20th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes. Following the draft, he signed his first professional contract and continued his development in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting. Over two seasons, Murphy recorded 14 goals and 44 points in 68 games and served as an assistant captain during the 2012–13 season.

A graduate of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, Murphy has enjoyed exceptional success on the international stage. In 2011, he scored the overtime game-winning goal against Sweden to secure the gold medal for Team USA at the IIHF U18 World Championship. He later helped the Americans capture gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship alongside former OBJ teammate Sean Kuraly. The duo also earned silver together at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

Murphy has represented the United States at the IIHF World Championship on five occasions, earning bronze medals in 2015 and 2018. In 2016, he led the tournament in goals by a defenseman and was named one of the team’s Top Three Players. Perhaps his most distinguished international honor came in 2017, when he was named captain of Team USA.

A native of Dublin, Ohio, Sean Kuraly is currently in his 10th NHL season. In 2025–26, he returned to the Boston Bruins—his original NHL organization—after spending four seasons with his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets. A veteran of more than 600 NHL games, Kuraly set career highs during his first season in Columbus in 2021–22, recording 14 goals and 30 points in 77 games while also leading the team and ranking 11th in the NHL in hits (240). Known as a consummate teammate, Kuraly brings reliability, leadership, and competitiveness to every lineup, and reached the 500-game milestone during the 2024–25 season.

During his initial tenure in Boston, Kuraly earned a reputation as a clutch performer and played a key role in the Bruins’ run to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. His signature moments include scoring the game-winning goal at the 2019 Winter Classic, a critical 3rd period goal in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the winner in double overtime in Game 5 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In 2022-23, he was named an assistant captain with the Blue Jackets.

Prior to beginning his NHL career, Kuraly was a four-year standout and team captain at Miami University. He totaled 93 points in 154 career games and helped lead the RedHawks to the 2012–13 CCHA regular-season championship and the 2015 NCHC playoff title. As a senior, he was honored with the NCHC’s Best Defensive Forward award.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, Kuraly posted 102 points over two seasons with the USHL’s Indiana Ice and earned All-USHL Second Team honors in 2011–12 after finishing fourth in league scoring.

Internationally, Kuraly has enjoyed significant success, highlighted by a gold medal with Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also won bronze at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge—leading the tournament in scoring with six points in five games—and silver at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Additionally, he earned a call-up to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program during the 2009–10 season while playing for the 18U AAA Blue Jackets.

A native of Columbus, Jack Roslovic is currently in his 10th NHL season and first with the Edmonton Oilers. A veteran over more than 500 games, Roslovic has scored more than 100 goals and 250 points with five different teams. In 2025-26, he has thrived in his first season with the Oilers which was highlighted by a pair of overtime goals, including one against his hometown team.

He was acquired by the Blue Jackets along with Patrik Laine on January 23, 2020. While playing at home in Columbus, Roslovic set career bests in all offensive categories in each of his first 2 full seasons. In 2020-21, he finished tied for second in team scoring with 34 points in 48 games. In 2021-22, he tallied a career high 22 goals and 45 points. He was also the recipient of the Blue Jackets' Community MVP Award and was nominated for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy for establishing his foundation, Rosie's Gear for Goals, which has a mission to support aspiring Central Ohio hockey players by equipping them with the gear they'll need to succeed, while also building a strong community around the sport to help players see through their goals on and off the ice.

On February 4, 2019, Roslovic was named the NHL's 1st Star of the Week after recording 5 goals and 6 points in a 4 goal stretching, including his first career hat trick. Roslovic was named an AHL All-Star in his first professional season after leading the Manitoba Moose in scoring. He made his NHL debut on April 17, 2017 at Nationwide Arena against the Blue Jackets.

In 2015, Roslovic was selected in the 1st round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets and signed his first professional contract after playing one season at Miami University where he was named to the NCHC's All-Rookie Team. He also helped leaded Team USA to a gold medal at the 2017 U20 World Junior Championship.

Roslovic is a graduate of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program where he tallied 111 points in 119 career games. In 2018, Jack was named one of the top three players on Team USA while helping the team win a gold medal at the U18 World Championship. He also helped the Americans win gold at the 2014 World Hockey Challenge and Four Nations Tournament.

Now in his eighth NHL season, Kiefer Sherwood has developed into a complete, reliable impact player. A veteran of more than 300 NHL games, Sherwood set the league’s single-season hits record during the 2024–25 campaign while also establishing career highs in goals, assists, and points. On January 20, 2026, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks after leading the Vancouver Canucks with 17 goals in 44 games.

Sherwood signed his first NHL contract as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018, recording a 6–7–13 line in 60 games. He later signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, appearing in 27 regular-season games and making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in 2021. In the summer of 2022, Sherwood joined the Nashville Predators as a free agent, earned a spot on their opening night roster, and scored the first goal of the NHL season against the San Jose Sharks.

Before solidifying himself as a full-time NHL player, Sherwood was a dominant force in the American Hockey League with both the San Diego Gulls and Colorado Eagles. During the 2021–22 season, he was named an AHL All-Star and finished third in the league in goals (36) and fifth in points (75) in just 57 games.

Sherwood played three seasons of college hockey at Miami University, where he totaled 34 goals and 86 points with the RedHawks and earned NCHC All-Academic Team honors. Prior to Miami, he spent two full seasons in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms, recording 90 points in 126 games. During the 2014–15 season, he helped lead the Phantoms to the league’s best record and an Anderson Cup championship.

During the 2012–13 season, Sherwood earned a call-up to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program while playing for the AAA Blue Jackets 18U team. He was selected in the seventh round (No. 99 overall) of the 2012 USHL Draft following his 16U season.

On July 7, 2015, Kole Sherwood became the first player to sign an NHL contract directly out of the AAA Blue Jackets program, inking a free-agent deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The previous season, Sherwood led the T1EHL in goals (22) and helped the AAA Blue Jackets capture the program’s first-ever league championship. Four years later, on February 16, 2019, he made history again by becoming the first Central Ohio product to play in a game for the Blue Jackets.

Prior to his professional career, Sherwood spent three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights, Flint Firebirds, and Kitchener Rangers. He recorded 75 goals and 179 points in 180 career OHL games and was a member of the powerhouse 2015–16 London Knights team that won both the OHL Championship and the Memorial Cup.

Sherwood played five professional seasons before retiring in 2022 due to injury. He appeared in 12 NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators and logged more than 150 games in the American Hockey League with the Cleveland Monsters, Belleville Senators, and Milwaukee Admirals. Over his AHL career, he tallied 34 goals and 53 points in 154 games.

Justin Richards became the sixth AAA Blue Jackets alumnus to appear in an NHL game on May 8, 2021, recording an assist and a +1 rating in a 5–4 win over Sean Kuraly and the Boston Bruins. During the 2022–23 season, Richards signed with his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets and appeared in two NHL games, tallying one assist. He also finished second in scoring for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, posting 10 goals, 29 assists, and 39 points in 61 games. Richards is currently playing professionally in Europe, continuing his career at the pro level overseas.

Richards signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers in 2020 following three highly successful seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth. During his collegiate career, he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2019 NCHC Playoff Championship and back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2018 and 2019. Serving as an assistant captain, Richards recorded 66 points and a +40 rating in 120 career games. He was named to the All-NCHC Second Team in 2018–19, earned NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year honors twice, and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 2019.

Prior to his collegiate career, Richards spent one season in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars, where he recorded 30 points in 52 games.

On April 4, 2022, Carson Meyer became the 7th alumnus of the program to play in an NHL game and the fourth to play for his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets when he debuted vs. the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena. He went on to finish the season with the Blue Jackets, playing in 13 games and tallying 3 points. He recorded his 1st NHL goal and assist on April 5 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers.

Currently a forward with the Buffalo Sabres affiliate Rochester Americans, the Powell native has played six seasons in the AHL while producing more than 150 points.

Meyer spent his college career playing 2 seasons at Miami University and 2 seasons at Ohio State where he totaled 42 goals and 89 points in 137 career games. Following his freshman season at Miami, Meyer was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 6th round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. As a Buckeye, Meyer won a B1G regular season championship in 2018-19 and recorded a career high 17 goals and 31 points as a senior before the season was ended by COVID-19.

Prior to college, Meyer racked up 32 goals and 52 points in 58 games in the USHL and helped lead the Tri City Storm to a Clark Cup championship. He also was named to Team USA at the World Jr. A Challenge and won a bronze medal. A member of perhaps the most accomplished age group in program history, Meyer led the T1EHL in scoring in 2014-15 as the AAA Blue Jackets won their first ever league championship.

A total of 13 alumni have had the honor of representing their country having won a combined 15 medals (7 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze) in international play. In 2013, Connor Murphy and Sean Kuraly (pictured above) helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the World Junior Championship. Four years later, Jack Roslovic followed suit as he helped Team USA capture gold in a dramatic shootout win over Canada.

The program has also proven to have a great relationship with the National Team Development Program over the years. While Murphy and Roslovic are both full-time graduates of the program, seven others have received NTDP call-ups while playing for the AAA Blue Jackets (Sean Kuraly, Henry Dill, Kiefer Sherwood, Haydn Gould, Will Elger, Nathan McBrayer and Ethan Perrault). In addition, former Director of Player Development & Advancement Jimmy Mullin was hired as an assistant coach with Team USA in 2021.

More than 150 alumni have played college hockey, with over 40 at both the Division I and Division III levels.

Justin Richards has had the most decorated college career of any OBJ alumnus. In three seasons at Minnesota-Duluth, Richards was a key part of two National Championship teams and an NCHC playoff championship. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 2019 and was a 2-time recipient of the NCHC's Best Defensive Forward Award.

The AAA Blue Jackets have a rich history of producing leaders at the next level. In the 2020-21 season alone, four Division I programs featured an OBJ alumnus wearing the "C". All three Division I programs in Ohio (Bowling Green, Miami and Ohio State) have had a member of our program serve as their captain.

Eric Dop has won more than 50 career Division I games. From 2017-21, he posted a 45-27-7 record, 2.22 GAA and .914 save percentage at Bowling Green and helped lead the Falcons to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. He is currently manning the crease at Boston College as a graduate transfer.

From 2018-2023, Chase Gresock tallied 104 points in 135 career NCAA games with Merrimack, Miami and Bowling Green. He was a member of the Hockey East All-Rookie Team in 2018-19 with Merrimack. In three seasons with the Warriors, he was a 2-time captain and tallied 26 goals and 54 points.

200+ alumni have made the jump to junior hockey after playing with the AAA Blue Jackets

Playing in our program is much bigger than just hockey. The life skills and character traits that the game teaches you have a major impact on every aspect of a person's life. Our alumni continue to excel and achieve success even after their playing days are over.

A goaltender in the program from 2006-2008, Jeff Michael is currently a principal at BHMS Investments, where he is the head of business development for the private equity firm. Jeff was an entrepreneur from a young age, owning and operating a handful of businesses. As a manager with Ernst & Young's consulting practice, he was awarded the EY Empower Award for his leadership abilities.

Jeff graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. As a a member of the the varsity men's hockey team, he was a 4-time recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award and received the Student-Athlete Study Abroad scholarship

Max DeCoursey graduated cum laude from Ohio State with a degree in air transportation and now works as a commercial pilot and flight instructor.