Colorado Avalanche Training Camp Observations
Day 1 of the Colorado Avalanche main training camp, and already players were displaying what kind of year they were going to have. For the most part, they all looked strong and ready to go — even the injured parties that head coach Patrick Roy listed yesterday to everyone’s consternation.
The Avalanche started by playing a little “trick” on attendees — who were in far greater number than on other days. Those who showed up early got treated to certain players taking the ice early, including Semyon Varlamov, Matt Duchene and the captain, Gabriel Landeskog.
During the training camp, players gave a hint of the season to come.
#8: Briere Scraps in the Corners
Danny Briere is a small guy — 5-foot-9, 179 pounds. Funnily enough, he was around Erik Johnson a lot during the drills, and Johnson’s seven inches taller and 50 pounds heavier. Definite Mutt and Jeff vibe going on. Despite that, Briere is a scrappy guy in the corners. He’s not going to back down.
#7: Rendulic is Almost Ready
Croatian-born rookie Borna Rendulic is a big forward – 6-foot-3, 194 pounds. He’s definitely not a crash and bang type of player, but he’s strong on skates and on the puck. He continues to show his finisher’s instinct. He still needs to add a little grit — a month or two with the Lake Erie Monsters should suffice. However, he’s very close, and he could very well wear a Colorado Avalanche uniform at some point this season.
#6: Holden Can Stick Handle
Remember when coach Roy started defenseman Nick Holden as a forward last season? Well, perhaps Holden already had skills with the puck, but he’s really developed them. He participated in the first round of drills, and he definitely resembled a forward at times.
#5: Berra Can Stop Pucks
The Avs Nation and pundits alike seem to want backup goalie Reto Berra to fail. They call him huge but slow — lugubrious is a term used. Half of that is correct — he is huge in the net at 6-foot-4, 196 pounds. Maybe he just seems slow because so much of him is in motion at a time. In any case, the first scrimmage went into a shootout. And Big Berra stopped none other than Matt Duchene.
Duchene said after the first day of camp, “”[Berra’s] one of the best shootout goalies I’ve ever played against.” Considering Duchene’s resume, that’s high praise.
#4: Iginla is One Tough Mudder
Jarome Iginla appears to be aging like Jaromir Jagr ages — by getting tougher. He did get checked into the boards pretty hard by defenseman Erik Johnson — that had to hurt, but Iginla shook it off. During the drills, Iginla showed his toughness.
#3: Johnson and Siemens Have Chemistry
Prospect Duncan Simemens is still looking to make his Colorado Avalanche debut. When he does, it’s highly unlikely he’ll do so on the first defensive pairing with Erik Johnson. That’s a pity because the pair have chemistry. They skated well together and communicated often. Granted, that communication was usually, “EJ, EJ!” Nonetheless, Siemens was able to keep up with Johnson — and that’s no easy feat.
#2: The Rumors About MacKinnon are True
The hockey world has been talking about Nathan MacKinnon’s increased size, his increase in explosive power, the fact that he has only a nine percent body fat — which is essentially the minimum required to insulate his organs. I can’t speak to that last, but he was a brute on the ice. He is
strong
. And he’s getting a little aggressive. He seems to be hitting it off with Iginla — looks like the power forward is having a positive impact on the youngster.
#1: Johnson Epitomizes Defenseman Skating
Erik Johnson skates like he’s the instructional video for what exactly a hockey defenseman should look like. He has to have abs of steel and a pivot in his belly to transitional skate like he does. He’s big, strong and aggressive — as Iginla can attest to. If the first day of training camp was any indication, Erik Johnson is going to have a career year.
And an Oops
Defenseman Ryan Wilson is actually showing a lot of skill and desire to make the team. He has a bomb of a shot, and he’s usually strong on skates. The one time I decided to record him during a drill, though, he bit the, er, ice. So, a little snafu from training camp: