"Rookie winger Cam Atkinson arrived at Blue Jackets training camp with only a tiny chance to win a spot on the roster. Next year? Sure. Or maybe he'd be a call-up from minor-league Springfield a time or two this season.

But Atkinson, a 5-foot-7 dervish with swollen confidence and a sniper's touch, continued to elevate his play the past two weeks until he laid waste to the Blue Jackets' best-laid plans.

On Saturday, coach Scott Arniel informed the 22-year-old that he had survived the final cuts to the roster.

"I was the second-to-last guy waiting to go into the room," Atkinson said. "I walked in, and (Arniel) had a little bit of a giggle. I wasn't sure what was going on.

"He said I played hard and I earned it. It was so good to hear that. I didn't sleep very much (Friday night), but that gave me a boost. I just came out of that meeting, grabbed my phone and called my mom and dad. They were just jumping up and down when I told them.""