Colorado Avalanche Should Give J.T. Compher a Shot

The Colorado Avalanche might as well wave goodbye to this season and start giving some of their young up-and-coming talent a chance to play in the NHL. Which is why they should give J.T. Compher a shot with the Big Club.

Colorado Avalanche prospect J.T. Compher is having a real good year with the San Antonio Rampage, and he recently returned from injury.

It’s time for the Avs to give him a shot with the Big Club.

He won’t get that shot until after the holiday break, but the Avs should get him on NHL ice as soon as possible.

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They’ve already given A.J. Greer, Rocco Grimaldi, and Samuel Henley opportunities this year. It’s now time for them to give J.T. Compher an opportunity.

Why Bring Him Up Now?

Most of the time it’s encouraged to allow a player a full year of development in the AHL. Especially when said player was a second round draft pick, and has played very little pro hockey.

However, J.T. Compher had a successful three year career at the University of Michigan, and he’s now 21 years old and ready for full time NHL duty.

He’s also No. 34 overall in AHL rookie scoring, and he’s only played 13 games this season. He does have a ridiculous shooting percentage, but he’s productive on the power play, and is a feisty two-way center.

Furthermore, it’s not like the Avs are going anywhere this season, so why not give guys like Greer and Compher some more NHL time?

More From Mile High Sticking: Hopes for the Avs as a Team

I know the Avs don’t really need any more centers with the Big Club this season, but Compher has been known to be a real productive winger as well.

And who knows, maybe he’ll be able to jump start the Avs and give them a little sand and gumption.

J.T. Compher Has Got Skills…

Let’s take some time to appreciate how good this young cat is.

Just keep an eye on No. 37 in this video:

Quick hits from the video:

It’s too bad that they don’t have a couple different replays of the goals scored.
Nonetheless, Compher is an absolute beast.
He goes hard to the net.
The pass he makes to Greer is insane.
The goal he scores is also insane, just a wicked wrist shot.
And, you get a real great idea of how well he works playing the two-way game.
Compher plays a simple game, it’s not very flashy, but it’s extremely effective.

Here he is talking about returning to the lineup, and his performance in that game above:

The San Antonio Rampage are finally getting players back from injury, and so it’s difficult to ask them to break up their roster with call-ups. Nonetheless, call-ups for Greer and Compher might be in the best interest of their further development.

I hope to see at least Compher in a Colorado Avalanche uniform soon, but the management may feel differently.

Conclusion

Compher and Greer seem to have some pretty high ceilings. However, even if they don’t reach their full potential, they’ll still be part of the most effective third line the Avs have seen in a very long time.

Compher certainly has a shooting percentage that he can’t maintain, but he’s certainly got the skills to keep producing at a point per game pace.

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Also, the Avs have an awful power play, so adding a guy like Compher that can work along the boards like he can would be a welcome addition.

I guess I’m just fed up with the Avs, and wouldn’t mind seeing some guys that have earned it in the AHL given a shot in the NHL this season.

Compher is the only one of the Avs’ most promising prospects that hasn’t seen an opportunity yet. His time needs to come as soon as possible for the Avs.

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