Blue Jackets’ Peeke Handling Tough Season with Class

Peeke re-entered the Blue Jackets’ lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. It was just his 14th game played of the season out of a possible 43 games. He’s now been healthy scratched 29 times in 2023-24.

Staggered Appearances

Peeke won a roster spot in training camp and played in the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. He played 17:10 in that game. He would proceed to sit for the next 10 games.

Peeke then got his next chance to play near his hometown against the Florida Panthers. He recorded an assist on Nov 6 and was a +1. He earned two more games as a result.

But then Peeke would sit for the next 12 games after that. Notice a pattern yet?

Peeke returned on Dec 5 against the Los Angeles Kings and then proceeded to play nine of the next 11 games. Until Saturday night, he hadn’t played a game in 2024 which spanned four games.

Hockey players feel uneasy missing one game. Peeke’s next scratch would mark his 30th of the season. That is a staggering number for someone who missed just two games in the last two seasons combined.

But to Peeke’s credit, he has found a way to keep perspective and stay positive about his situation. His teammates and his coach have noticed.

Coach Vincent on Peeke

Peeke entered the lineup on Saturday in place of rookie David Jiricek. Coach Vincent said that he has conversations with all of his players throughout the season on performance-replated matters. He and Peeke have talked everyday.

Vincent was asked about how those conversations have gone with Peeke. His eyes lit up as soon as he heard the question. He even went as far as saying thank you for asking that. It had meaning to him.

“Thank you for asking, because some guys we don’t necessarily talk about a whole lot,” Vincent said. “Andrew Peeke, he’s the ultimate teammate. He hasn’t played a whole lot this year. Been a healthy scratch for quite some games. His ability to stay a true professional without creating any distractions in the room is off the chart. To me, that’s great leadership.”

“He is coachable. He is honest. He tells us he wants to play, obviously we know that. But he’s a man. And when you talk to him, there’s an honest, mature conversation. But what he does, he’s the first guy or one of the first guys on the ice. Works hard. He’s in the gym supporting his teammates, trying to help his teammates. So we’re talking about a team and he wants a spot back in the lineup and he knows he has to beat somebody else to be in the lineup, but he’s still supporting and helping those guys to get better.”

“So this guy is the ultimate teammate. There’s no data for this. There’s no stats. There’s no numbers. You can’t explain it. You have to see it and witness what he does in the room. This guy brings a lot of leadership even though he’s not playing every night. And you know, who is perfect? I’m not. We’re not. No player is, but his approach to the game, his ability to be a solid and a great teammate is perfect. He’s an A+ for me and it has huge value.”

Peeke Handling Unchartered Waters

Peeke opened up about how this season has gone for him. As you can imagine, he has endured many frustrating days simply wondering when he would get his next chance. Despite all of the healthy scratches, he still gets excited for every opportunity he gets.

“At the end of the day, all you want to do is play hockey,” Peeke said. “It’s not easy being out of the lineup, frustrating days, other things like that. I can’t say it’s necessarily easy. But when you come back in, it brings the excitement, brings that hop in your step that you get to play a hockey game.”

This is unchartered territory for Peeke. At no level of hockey has he encountered anything like this. The closest thing he encountered was being part of the taxi squad during Covid. But never has he endured being a consistent healthy scratch. He’s spent this season trying to find the process and figuring his way through the difficulties.

Through it all, Peeke has kept a positive attitude. How has he been able to do that?

“If you’re not playing, you try and bring extra motivation to practice. Part of my DNA as a person is never take my foot off the gas. I’m going to work as hard as I can every day. So finding extra motivation in that, even if it’s not necessarily playing in the game but finding little things like that or plays throughout practice that brings joy to your game.”

For Peeke, those little things he works on in practice are his skating and some skill work he gets extra time to work on. He gets extra touches with the puck. He works on some breakout stuff too.

While Peeke didn’t want to divulge the nature of his conversations with the coaching staff, he admitted they talk every day about what it might take to stay in the lineup consistently.

Peeke Still Loves Columbus

Given the number of healthy scratches Peeke has endured, it was fair to wonder if he was starting to consider a fresh start somewhere else. At least from his perspective, that is something that hasn’t crossed his mind.

“I love Columbus. I love my teammates,” Peeke said. “It’s the only place I’ve ever been in my career so I love it here. Obviously with things going the way they have, it’s been tough. But I love it here. I love my teammates.”

While many players may have requested a trade given their circumstances, Peeke instead demonstrated what it means to be a good teammate. Whether or not that leads to a trade in the future is still uncertain based on the roster logjam and what management thinks. But the fact he hasn’t been a distraction shows well in the room and has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches.

In less than ideal circumstances, Peeke has quietly gone about his business in order to get better and stay ready. These are the kind of things that don’t hit the scoresheet or fans see on a regular basis.

But that’s just who Andrew Peeke is, a quiet leader who embodies what it means to be a Columbus Blue Jacket.