Rising Star Luca Del Bel Belluz Powers Cleveland Monsters Offense in 2025-26

Forty-six goals and 108 points into his Cleveland tenure, Luca Del Bel Belluz has quietly carved his name into franchise history. The 22-year-old center from Woodbridge, Ontario sits 13th all-time in Cleveland Monsters scoring, a remarkable marker for a player still nominally classified as a prospect. Back-to-back AHL All-Star selections have formalized what the numbers already made obvious: Del Bel Belluz is one of the best offensive players in the American Hockey League. The more complicated question is whether the Columbus Blue Jackets organization will ever give him the consistent NHL runway to prove it at the next level.

From Woodbridge to the OHL: Building the Foundation

Del Bel Belluz's statistical arc through junior hockey traces the kind of late-blooming trajectory that often produces reliable professional scorers. His first OHL season with the Mississauga Steelheads in 2019-20 yielded just 6 points in 58 games, a modest debut for a tall center still finding his feet. Two seasons later, he erupted: 30 goals and 46 assists for 76 points in 68 regular-season games in 2021-22, a breakout that reframed his ceiling entirely.

The 2022-23 OHL season split between two franchises underscored his consistency. He posted 20 goals and 21 assists in 34 games with Mississauga before a trade to the Sarnia Sting, where he added another 20 goals and 26 assists across 32 games. His Sarnia playoff run produced 8 goals and 7 assists in 16 games. By then, the Columbus Blue Jackets had already acted: the organization selected him 44th overall in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

An AHL Ascent, Season by Season

Del Bel Belluz arrived in Cleveland for the 2023-24 season as a 19-or-20-year-old learning professional hockey on the fly. His 58-game debut produced 9 goals and 22 assists for 31 points, numbers that hinted at offensive intelligence without yet signaling a scorer. He briefly touched the NHL that year, appearing in one game for Columbus and scoring a goal.

The leap in 2024-25 was significant enough that DobberProspects analyst Owen Hilsinger declared it a baseline rather than a ceiling. Playing a top-line role across 61 games, Del Bel Belluz registered 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points. By February 2025, he had already accumulated 17 goals and 20 assists in 34 games, leading the entire AHL with 37 points at that snapshot in time. That performance earned his first North Division roster spot for the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic. DobberProspects was direct in its assessment: "This is his AHL floor for offensive production."

The 2025-26 season has continued that trajectory. Through 45 games tracked in the most complete available data, Del Bel Belluz has posted 18 goals, 30 assists, and 48 points for Cleveland. An earlier-season snapshot at 22 games showed him leading the Monsters in goals (10), points (24), and power-play goals (5), with 14 assists and a plus-3 rating. The franchise confirmed his second consecutive All-Star selection in January 2026, with the Monsters' official account announcing: "DEL BEL IS AN ALL-STAR. Luca Del Bel Belluz has been named to the 2026 All-Star North Division Roster for the AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois on February 10 & 11."

What the Numbers Say About His Ceiling

The analytical case for Del Bel Belluz as a genuine NHL-caliber scorer is built on more than AHL point totals. DobberProspects framed his projection bluntly: "if Del Bel Belluz were to play a full season in the AHL, it would not be an exaggeration to project him as a 70+ point forward with at least 35 goals."

His profile as a center adds dimension beyond pure scoring. When DobberProspects analyst Josh Rosa assessed him in June 2023, the description covered the full picture: "He is a true two-way center with face-off acumen, reasonable skill, and vision." Union and Blue contributor Weston Motz echoed that characterization in describing his NHL appearances, crediting his "quick thinking and confident two-way game." The consensus across scouting and analytical sources is a player whose game exceeds what a bottom-six role can showcase, which is precisely the tension at the heart of his career so far.

Rosa's 2023 note also flagged a development area that remains relevant: Del Bel Belluz needed to "bulk up and add more strength to his game," and that physical development would be the variable determining whether he became "a solid middle-six center" or plateaued below that threshold. The AHL All-Star selections and point totals suggest the offensive tools have only grown; the NHL numbers tell a more complicated story.

The NHL Gap: Opportunity and Limitation

Three separate NHL stints have collectively produced 29 games, 3 goals, 7 assists, and 10 points for Columbus. That aggregate is not the profile of a player who has failed; it is the profile of a player who has never been given a role suited to his strengths.

His best NHL showing came in 2024-25: 8 points in 15 games in a bottom-six role, an encouraging rate for limited deployment. The 2025-26 stint, however, was harder to spin positively. Del Bel Belluz played 13 games for Columbus in November and December, recorded one point, and was returned to Cleveland. As Motz wrote, "only one point and very unimpressive offensive creation in a still-limited role have led to him being sent back down to the AHL, where he remains for now."

The structural issue is plain: a center with Del Bel Belluz's offensive profile needs middle-six minutes and top-six opportunity to translate his game. DobberProspects addressed the roster dynamics directly, noting that Isac Lundestrom was brought to Columbus specifically for a fourth-line role, a position mismatched with Del Bel Belluz's skill set. The same analysis raised Yegor Chinakhov as a variable: a trade of Chinakhov could create the kind of vacancy that would give Del Bel Belluz real NHL opportunity. Analysts also noted it is not a stretch to envision Del Bel Belluz eventually passing Cole Sillinger on the Blue Jackets' depth chart for a top-nine role.

For now, DobberProspects characterizes him as the organization's primary call-up option, the first player summoned when an injury or performance issue opens a spot in Columbus's forward group. That designation is both a compliment and a ceiling, acknowledging his readiness without guaranteeing him the sustained deployment that would allow him to stick.

Franchise Footprint and What Comes Next

His contract structure, with a cap hit of $891,666 through 2025-26 and a subsequent $859,999 hit carrying into 2026-27 as a restricted free agent, keeps him affordable and organizationally controlled through next season. That RFA status means the Blue Jackets retain full leverage over his NHL future.

The franchise history claim is worth underscoring. Being 13th all-time in Cleveland Monsters scoring before turning 23 is not a consolation prize for a prospect who hasn't cracked an NHL roster. It is evidence of a player who has dominated a professional league over multiple seasons with remarkable consistency, posting 31, 53, and 48-plus points in three consecutive AHL campaigns.

Back-to-back All-Star selections, a league-leading points pace at the midpoint of last season, and a power-play role at the top of Cleveland's lineup all point to a player who has maximized the platform he has been given. The February 10-11 All-Star Classic at Rockford's BMO Center will be the second consecutive showcase appearance for a forward who, by every AHL measure, belongs in a different conversation entirely: not whether he is ready for the NHL, but whether the Blue Jackets' roster situation will finally create the right opening for him to prove it.