Dec 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Zach Aston-Reese (27) during pre-game warmup against the Carolina Hurricanes at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

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Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Zach Aston-Reese with One-Year Contract

Columbus Blue Jackets secure forward Zach Aston-Reese for another season, adding depth and experience to their roster with a new one-year deal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have extended forward Zach Aston-Reese’s contract for one year at $775,000, continuing through the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, announced club President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell today.

Aston-Reese, 30, has tallied 46 goals and 45 assists for a total of 91 points, along with 145 penalty minutes, 497 shots on goal, 915 hits, and an overall +27 plus/minus rating, while averaging 12:57 of ice time over 352 career games with the Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, and Pittsburgh Penguins since his NHL debut in the 2017-18 season.

Claimed off waivers by Columbus from the Vegas Golden Knights on October 7, he has recorded 4-7-11 with 19 PIM, 94 hits, 56 shots on goal, and averaged 13:09 of ice time over 42 games in 2024-25, placing third on the team in hits. Initially inked by Pittsburgh to a two-year entry-level deal on Mar. 14, 2017, the Staten Island, New York local recorded 4-2-6 in 16 games with the Penguins during his inaugural NHL season in 2017-18.

ANOTHER YEAR OF ZAR! 🤩

We’ve signed forward Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year contract extension through the 2025-26 NHL season!

📝 https://t.co/PofsArzQVO @RuoffMortgage | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/BRnNfzI7hG
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 13, 2025

In the 2018-19 season, he achieved a personal best in points with 8-9-17 over 43 games. The forward achieved personal bests in goals and games played, registering 10-4-14 and accumulating 25 penalty minutes over 77 games with Toronto during the 2022-23 season.

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The 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward has recorded 32 goals, 44 assists, and 76 points along with 127 penalty minutes in 123 career AHL games with the Grand Rapids Griffins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins across five seasons from 2016 to 2024. He achieved AHL career bests in goals, points, games played, and PIM with 14-16-30 and 53 PIM in 61 games with Grand Rapids during the 2023-24 season.

Aston-Reese spent four years at Northeastern University from 2013 to 2017, concluding with 66 goals, 82 assists for a total of 148 points and accumulating 182 penalty minutes across 145 games. In his last college season of 2016-17, he earned the titles of NCAA First-Team All-American, Hockey East Player of the Year, and a spot on the league’s First All-Star Team after topping the NCAA in goals and points with a record of 31-32-63 in 38 games.

The Blue Jackets are back in action on Tuesday, facing the Philadelphia Flyers. The game at Nationwide Arena starts at 7 p.m. ET.

Image Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

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Zach Aston-Reese

Anamika Shrivastava

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