The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned left wing Markus Hannikainen to the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus' American Hockey League affiliate, club General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.

Hannikainen, 26, was recalled on October 31, but did not appear in a game with the Blue Jackets. He has registered eight goals and seven assists for 15 points with 14 penalty minutes in 91 career NHL games since making his league debut with the club in 2015-16. He set career highs in 2018-19 with 4-3-7 in 44 games.

The Helsinki, Finland native has added 27-37-64, 42 penalty minutes and a +15 plus/minus rating in 120 career AHL contests with the Monsters, including 1-3-4 and a +2 plus/minus rating in five appearances in 2019-20. He was originally signed to an entry level contract with Columbus on Apr. 20, 2015.

The Blue Jackets return to action on Thursday when they visit the Arizona Coyotes. Game time from Gila River Arena is 9 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Ohio and the FOX Sports Go app. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. with the "Blue Jackets Live" pre-game show. The game will also be broadcast on the Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs Blue Jackets Radio Network, including flagship station Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan.