Voracek returns to Columbus as a star

COLUMBUS, Ohio – When Flyers right wing Jake Voracek was traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2011, most people around him saw him as untapped potential.

In his first career All-Star Game, Voracek returns to Columbus three and a half years later as the NHL's scoring leader with a four-point lead on Dallas' Tyler Seguin.

"I could see from the time he was a young player he had all the talent in the world," said Rick Nash, now a New York Ranger, but once teammates with Voracek in Columbus. "It was a matter of maturing and gaining confidence. He's got all the tools to be the best player in the world."

Voracek doesn't quite have that status yet, but pacing the league in points a little after the halfway point isn't a bad starting place. His 58 points in 48 games have him on pace for a 96-point season. That would obliterate the career-best 62 points he had last season.

The budding Czech star isn't sure he can maintain that pace, but few would be surprised if he did.

"He had such a talent and ability back in junior with the heart to go along with it," said Cam Russell, Voracek's coach in juniors with the Halifax Mooseheads, where he's now the GM. "It's impossible for a guy like that with that kind of character and that kind of ability to not emerge as one of the best players."

It couldn't have happened without formative years in Columbus when Voracek had 38-, 50- and 46-point seasons with the Blue Jackets before the trade.

"I grew up here a little bit," Voracek admitted at Nationwide Arena Friday, the site of Sunday's All-Star Game. "I was 19 years old and this is where I lived. They made me feel comfortable and welcomed and you remember that. It's special for me to be here, of course. It's the All-Star Game. But being Columbus...that's good, too."

Since Voracek's NHL career began, Russell has been watching from afar. A former defenseman who spent 11 years in the NHL, Russell actually thought Voracek would have more success earlier in his career.

Russell and the Mooseheads staff aren't surprised Voracek is finding his way in Philadelphia on the top line with Claude Giroux.

"We just kinda laugh about it," Russell said. "We saw it for the years he played here in Halifax. It was definitely fun to watch. The irony is we were beaten by Claude Giroux in the playoffs one year and it was Giroux versus Voracek. It's just kinda funny to see those two playing together, but the stuff he's doing in the NHL now is what he was doing in Halifax."

These days, the one-time foes have created plenty of magic together. Giroux, tied for third in the league in scoring, and Voracek have become one of the league's premier duos.

For quite some time, the pride of Kladno, Czechoslovakia was future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr. He might have competition in Voracek, who was a teammate for one season in Philadelphia.

"It's up to him. He's got the size. He's got the strength," Jagr said. "It's up to him. If I were him, I'd work a little bit on my shooting. Wrist shots. That's what I would do. Otherwise, he doesn't have to do anything."

"He's fun to play with," Giroux added. "He's playing very, very well this year. He came to camp really ready to play and lost a lot of weight.

"He's still ugly," Giroux joked, "but he's pretty fast out there. He's fun to play with."

Not so fun to play against, though.

"There are some good duos," Nash said. "They are right up there with (Sidney) Crosby/(Evgeni) Malkin. (Joe) Thornton/(Patrick) Marleau, (Ryan) Getzlaf/(Corey) Perry. Giroux and Voracek, if they're not the best, they are right there."

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NHL ALL-STAR GAME

• Skills competition

• TV: 7 p.m. NBCSN

Reach Dave Isaac at disaac@courierpostonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @davegisaac.

