*Written/supplied by Okotoks Oilers (click for link to original story)

OKOTOKS, AB (April 10, 2022) – Former Okotoks Oilers defenceman Nick Blankenburg (Washington, MI) has signed an entry-level deal for the remainder of the 2021-22 NHL season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, it was announced this weekend.

Blankenburg, 23, played with the Oilers in the 2017-18 season, and was named to the AJHL South All-Rookie team after scoring 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 57 games, securing his commitment to the University of Michigan in December of that season. He was the team’s fourth-highest scorer in the 2018 playoffs, the best run ever for an Oilers team, as he scored 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in 15 games as the team won the AJHL South championship.

In his four years with Michigan, Blankenburg scored 69 points in 133 games, and led the team to the Frozen Four and a Big Ten Tournament Championship this past season as its captain, tying the school’s record for goals in a single season by a defenceman with 14.