The center is a 16-goal scorer for Springfield.
Center Nick Drazenovic, left, is back with the Springfield Falcons after a short stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
SPRINGFIELD – After riding to games in a private jet, Nick Drazenovic will be back on the bus Friday.
That’s just one of the many differences between playing for Columbus of the National Hockey League, and playing for Springfield of the American Hockey League.
Drazenovic, a 26-year-old center from Prince George, British Columbia, was sent back to the Springfield Falcons on Wednesday after his second tour with their parent Jackets. This time around, he played two games in the NHL.
Disappointing news for him to be sent down? Certainly.
Good news for the Springfield club to have him back? Absolutely.
“Nick did well while he was up there, and of course there’s the disappointment of being sent out, but Nick has played a big role on our club, and now he’s ready to rejoin the close-knit group we have here,” Falcons coach Brad Larsen said.
Drazenovic will be centering a line with flashy forwards Ryan Russell and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault when the Falcons face the Adirondack Phantoms in Glens Falls, N.Y., Friday night. The Birds also play away Saturday, facing the Albany Devils in a 5 p.m. game.
“Those are good, smart players to be skating with,” Drazenovic said.
Of his stay with the Jackets, Drazenovic said, “You just try to make an impression, give them a good look. I feel that I have the ability to play at that level, but there are things to get used to, like the game being a lot faster.”
Larsen believes “Draz” has embraced the idea of being a solid, two-way player.
“In the NHL, you need to be a reliable player. They have to know they can trust you to do your job,” Larsen said.
With Drazenovic back in their lineup, the Falcons add a 16-goal scorer, a playmaking center with 30 assists – and another leader to go with veterans like Ryan Craig, Andrew Joudrey, Bryan Helmer, Cody Bass, Nick Holden and Greg Amadio.
“I like that leadership role, and I’m in kind of a unique situation with it – older, but not too old,” he said.
As the Falcons begin what will be a stretch of four games in eight days, they sit atop the AHL with Syracuse and Texas. Since Feb. 1, they have gone 9-3-1-0, including a five-game winning streak at home.
“Kudos to everybody here,” Drazenovic said. “There’s a lot of good character in that locker room, and everybody has bought into the system we play.”
ICE CHIPS: Goaltender Allen York incurred a lower-body injury in practice Wednesday. Former University of Massachusetts captain Paul Dainton was recalled from the ECHL ... Drazenovic leads the Falcons with 26 points on the power play. He has a six-game points streak going, dating to Jan. 26. He had two recalls to Columbus since then ... Goaltender Curtis McElhinney’s eight shutouts mark a personal best, topping his seven with Omaha in 2006-07 ... The Falcons have limited foes to two or fewer goals in 31 of 55 games. They have a shot at the franchise record for fewest goals against – 215 in 1995-96 ... Springfield has an 86.4 success rate in killing power plays. It killed nine of 10 last weekend.