Blue Jackets send 20 to AHL, Ryan Murray to WHL

NHL lockout or no, Blue Jackets prospect Ryan Murray will be playing soon.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned 20 more players to the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass.

The players assigned to Springfield include forwards Cam Atkinson, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Matt Calvert, Michael Chaput, Sean Collins, Oliver Gabriel, Jake Hansen, Ryan Johansen, Tomas Kubalik and Dalton Smith; defensemen Anton Blomqvist, Tim Erixon, Cody Goloubef, Austin Madaisky, John Moore, Dalton Prout, Theo Ruth, David Savard and Will Weber; and goaltender Allen York.

The move allows the players to get work while the NHL and players association negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

Springfield, in its third season as the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, is scheduled to open training camp Sept. 28.

On Thursday, the Blue Jackets assigned defenseman and No. 2 overall pick this summer Ryan Murray to the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips and center Boone Jenner to the Ontario Hockey League's Oshawa Generals.

The 18-year-old Murray has 20 goals and 84 assists in 168 career WHL games with Everett. He is also the Silvertips' captain.

The 19-year-old Jenner was Columbus' first pick, 37th overall, in the 2011 draft. He has 66 goals and 98 assists in 171 career OHL games with Oshawa, including 22 goals and 27 assists a year ago in 43 games while also serving as captain.

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