Elk Point native Mark Letestu is well on his way to a career season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In spite of the shortened season, Letestu is currently five goals and two assists off his totals through 64 games with the Penguins in 2010-11. The versatile forward has managed nine goals and 11 assists through 34 games this season, and has been essential in the Blue Jackets playoff push.
“He's been very valuable in a lot of different ways for us," said Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards. “He's played a lot of different roles. He's played point on the power play, he's played wing, he's played centre."
Letestu took to the ice in Edmonton last Thursday in a 6-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, and while the game did not unfold as he had hoped, he said it is always nice to come out and play in front of friends and family.
“It's home. When it's your home game, you're always going to feel that much more to perform and to play well for the people who've come to support you. That and the playoff implications," Letestu said. “I've only been out here, I think this is my third time. It's nice to have family come watch you, that's for sure."
Despite finishing the 6-4 loss with no points and a minus-one rating, Letestu followed up the performance with a short-handed goal and an assist in the Blue Jackets 6-4 win over Calgary on Friday, and then added another assist and the game-winning goal in Sunday's 2-1 overtime victory against the Anaheim Ducks.
“I think the points are vital now and teams are desperate. Everybody's clawing for points, one or two," he said. “It's important for us to distance ourselves from the teams behind us as well as to catch the ones in front."
It was only a month ago that the Blue Jackets roster found themselves dead last in the league, but thanks to a solid team effort that saw some stellar net-minding from Sergei Bobrovsky, the Jackets fought their way into the eighth spot with Sunday's overtime victory over the Ducks.
“The schedule played a big role in that, if you'd seen where we were at, even now teams in last place have a chance to get in if they get hot, and we had a long home stretch . . . We had to make a push, had to make a stand and we had a great home stand and we got ourselves back in the picture," he said.
“If you look at our line up we're not prolific goal-scorers up and down the line up. We have to out-compete teams, we have to turn it into a dirty game and score goals around the net."
Richards said he is thrilled with Letestu's ability to take on any role necessary this season, which has proved pivotal to the Blue Jackets.
“I use him in offensive situations, defensive situations. To me, he's been a really, really versatile player and a really good player," Richards said.
“I really trust his game and I trust him defensively. Whether he's playing against a team's top line or if it's a critical moment in a game, a face off or a penalty kill, or if he's playing the wing I know if the puck is coming up the wall he's going to get it out."
