Colorado Avalanche: Observations from Tyson Jost’s Debut

Colorado Avalanche Prospect, Tyson Jost, made a strong debut with the team. He is sure to be a big part of the future.

Colorado Avalanche prospect Tyson Jost made his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues. It wasn’t a highlight reel debut, but it was definitely a positive harbinger of things to come.

Jost signed his entry-level contract on Wednesday and was in the air early Thursday morning. Though he missed most of practice, he got enough time with the team that he was slated to play in his first NHL game Friday night against the Blues.

Basically, Tyson had been in Denver — at altitude — for just over 24 hours when he went out to face his first NHL opponent.

I was a little worried about Jost. He’s not known for being a gritty player. And the St. Louis Blues, for all their speed and talent, can be a nasty bunch.

Well, Jost held his own. He had 13:25 of ice time. He had two shots on goal, a hit, a shot and a takeaway. That’s really pretty good for a first outing.

Jared Bednar thought Tyson Jost had a slow start in the beginning, but I liked what I saw. He does look a little small out there, but he’s fast. He seemed to be darting in and out of the play.

His game reminds me a little of Matt Duchene‘s. He’s not as speedy as Duchene, and his skating style is different. However, Jost definitely has that dynamic quality to his game.

Nathan MacKinnon had good things to say about Tyson Jost. He repeated that Jost played “great” and made a lot of “great plays.” He’s already taking on mentor status for the young center:

“His first game, he got up at 2 in the morning a couple of nights ago to travel here, and first game at altitude… He had a lot of confidence out there, and he was asking me, and the only thing I said was, ‘You have more time than you think.’”

Even Bednar admitted that Jost sees the ice well and has a lot of positives to his game.

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One thing I noticed was his tenacity. Even though he was darting in and out of the play, he never gave up on the puck. Unhindered by any faulty systems, he simply played good hockey.

For example, he even got some time in the three-on-three overtime. Indeed, he was out there toward the end of the OT period. A Blues player had dropped back to allow his team to regroup. But Jost was right up on him like a bulldog, cutting down the passing lane and even the sightlines.

Yes, I liked his game a lot.

Jost did get to take a whirl during the shootout. St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen made the save, but Jost still had a nice move. The boy young man kid rookie was tough on himself over the save:

As MacKinnon pointed out, he has time. (Side note — both MacKinnon and Duchene completed their shootouts.)

Naturally, Jost had a heck of a good time in his NHL debut. He was interviewed during the first intermission:

Personally, I think he looks pretty dapper in the third jerseys — too bad they’ve probably seen their last ride.

Tyson was on Cloud 9 after the game, too:

Indeed, Jost said of his initial NHL experience:

“It was a dream come true, and I know that’s a cliche, but it’s true,” Jost said. “It’s something I’m going to remember for a long, long time. Having my family come down and be in the crowd, that’s pretty special.”

In fact, the majority of his family seemed to have made the trip down from Alberta to see the young Tyson play. Remember when Grandpa Jost cried over Tyson getting drafted to the NHL? Well, as Jost himself pointed out, Grandpa is a big softy:

That is one gent who is proud of his grandson.

Overall, Tyson Jost was delighted to have his family in attendance:

There are just five games left in the season. More and more we’re seeing the youth movement, the young guys such as Mikko Rantanen, JT Compher and now Tyson Jost coming into their own.

Next: Jost Brings Excitement to the Team

This is the future of the Colorado Avalanche. And Tyson Jost has become a serious part of it.