August 10

Hey everyone, this is John Moore checking in again. Sorry for the delay in between posts. I’ll try to make up for it the next few weeks.

Over the past couple of weeks some of the guys have been trickling into town and are now training here. Myself, Ryan Johansen, Kyle Neuber, Trent Vogelhuber, Max Mayorov, Nikita Filatov, Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard, Jared Boll and Jake Voracek are all in Columbus and are training very hard at Nationwide Arena everyday. I’ve been able to put on some muscle this summer, about 9 pounds, and I hope to put on a couple more before training camp starts.

There is a fine line you have to walk when you’re trying to gain weight and (Strenght and Conditioning Coach) Kevin Collins’ program has been unbelievable. While I am heavier, I am also quicker and more agile, which is key in today’s game.

Outside of the training, we are keeping ourselves busy by skating twice a week and doing player appearances in the community. This past Friday I went to the Blue Jackets Hockey School at Chiller North and practiced with the goalies. It was awesome skating with the kids, being on the ice, and most importantly being in an ice rink when it is so hot and humid outside.

As I said in my previous blog, we have a ping-pong table in our dressing room that is getting a lot of use. After our workouts everyday, a bunch of the guys play. I was able to get my vengeance on Ryan Johansen but fell short to Jake Voracek and Nikita Filatov. I am really excited for things to get going on the ice and for camp to start and I hope everyone is enjoying their last couple weeks of summer. I’ll check back again soon.

July 14

Hey everyone, this is John Moore checking in. Over the next couple of weeks I will be keeping a blog giving insight into what I am doing this summer, both on and off the ice.

Development camp was a lot of fun and I had a great time during the McConnell Cup. My team didn’t fare too well, which was a little disappointing, but we competed hard and had a lot of fun. Overall I found the week to be pretty challenging, but also a lot of fun, and I think I picked up a lot from the coaching staff. Camp came to a close on Monday, July 5th with exit meetings for every player. There was a line-up for meetings, so a bunch of the guys started playing ping-pong. I had a pretty good run before Ryan Johansen took me down in a nail biter. I will have my vengeance on Ryan, he promised me a rematch.

From Development Camp I went home for a couple of days to spend some time with my family and friends. While I was at home, my friends held our annual three-on-three tournament. We made a cup for the winning team with a trash barrel covered in tin foil and a bowl on top. The winners of the tournament have their names on the cup forever – in sharpie.

My team consisted of myself, Mike Kantor, who was at development camp and will be playing in (the) Traverse City (tournament) in September, and Robbie Hall who won a national championship with the Chicago Mission. The tournament had 16 teams and all of the proceeds went towards sled hockey organizations in the Chicagoland area. My team earned the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs but we just couldn’t get the bounces and lost a tight one in the semifinals 2-1.

I headed back to Columbus this past Sunday morning for workouts. Strength and conditioning is such a huge part of the game and it is something that I take very seriously. We are working out everyday with Kevin Collins and it has been tremendous. There are some days where I am so sore I feel like an old man. I will be here for the entire summer and I am looking forward to keeping you guys updated on what I am up to.

*Throughout the offseason, rookie defenseman John Moore will be blogging about his life and trying to make the Blue Jackets team for the 2010-11 season. Follow John on BlueJackets.com or via the team updates on Twitter and Facebook.