Colorado Avalanche: Excitement for the Prospect Tournament

Colorado Avalanche prospects will participate in a showcase of their talents in San Jose. They will also participate in camps to develop their skills.

The Colorado Avalanche are participating in the 2017 NHL Prospect Showcase, a three-game, four-team tournament before the start of regular training camp.

Last year, one of the Prospect Showcases took place here in Denver. This year the prospects are heading to California, to San Jose specifically. They’ll be playing against prospects from the San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks.

Here’s the schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 9
Rookie Tournament vs. San Jose Sharks – 5 p.m. MT
Monday, Sept. 11
Rookie Tournament vs. Arizona Coyotes – 8 p.m. MT
Tuesday, Sept. 12
Rookie Tournament vs. Anaheim Ducks – 1 p.m. MT

Unfortunately, the games aren’t televised. However, they’re still an exciting development tool for a young team like the Colorado Avalanche.

Next: 30 Under 30: Journeymen Prospects

Draft Players

CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 24: Conor Timmins, 32nd overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Several players will be playing pro-style hockey for the first time, at least here in the US. One such is defenseman Andrei Mironov, who gave up his KHL career to come play in the NHL. He’s a bruising stay-at-home defenseman who likes to hit.

Another d-man making his debut is this season’s second rounder, Conor Timmins. The 18-year-old is going to continue to play for his major juniors team next season, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He’s known as being a two-way prospect.

I’d like to see more of defenseman Nicolas Meloche and center J.C. Beaudin, both of whom finished up in the QMJHL last season and will be approaching their first pro season. They’re both from that great 2015 draft. They’re fighting for eventual call-ups from San Antonio.

Meloche is a decent puck mover who plays a bruising game, which is how he makes his impact. Beaudin is a speedy, smart player with a good shot.

We’ll also get to see a couple 2016 draftees who haven’t signed pro contracts yet, left wing Travis Barron and defenseman Josh Anderson.

We’ll also be getting a look at goalie Peter Kvaca, this year’s draftee. He’s heading back to play in his native Czech Republic, though.

New Signings

Two players just signed with the Colorado Avalanche after finishing their college hockey careers.

Alexander Kerfoot is a center with good offensive skills based particularly on his ice vision. He can pass the puck well, but he can also finish plays.

Dominic Toninato is a two-way center who’s especially responsible defensively — he even won an award as the NCHC’s best defensive forward. He can play on both the power play and the penalty kill.

Both these centers are definitely playing for a roster spot next season. It’ll be interesting to see who brings the most to the ice.

Returning Players

More from Mile High Sticking

A few players aren’t exactly prospects because they’ve already played in the NHL.

The most exciting of these to my mind is center Tyson Jost. He transitioned to the NHL last season after finishing a single season of college hockey. He made the jump well and has already scored his first NHL goal. I like the play I saw from him last season and want to see how he’s developed over the summer.

A similar story is center J.T. Compher. He transitioned to the pro game after three college seasons. Though he spent most of his time in San Antonio last year, he got 21 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring three goals. He looked NHL-ready, too.

Left wing A.J. Greer is also looking to challenge for an NHL spot. He got to play five games last season.

Defenseman Chris Bigras is going to be gunning for an NHL job. He came into camp apparently with insufficient conditioning last year, relegating him to the AHL. He struggled with injuries and only played 45 games. This after 31 games with the Avs in 2015-16.

Someone who doesn’t quite fit in any of these lists is Shawn Ouellette- St. Amant. The 20-year-old winger is undrafted. He played 28 games with the San Antonio Rampage last season before being assigned to the ECHL Eagles, whom he helped win the Kelly Cup.

St. Amant is on a professional tryout, presumably for the Rampage again. According to Mile High Hockey, St. amant is a speedy player with good size he always finishes his checks.

Camps and Burgundy & White Game

As I stated, the games aren’t being televised, which makes viewing them tricky if you’re not already in California. However, if you’re here in Colorado, you can go to the Avalanche’s lone home rookie training camp:

Friday, Sept. 8
Avalanche rookie practice – 10 a.m. MT, Family Sports Center

The rookies will have one other training camp day:

Sunday, Sept. 10
Avalanche rookie practice – 11 a.m. MT, San Jose

That will likely be it for players such as Timmins, Barron, and Anderson. However, many of the other players will also be invited to the full Colorado Avalanche training camp. Rosters haven’t been announced yet, but here’s the schedule:

Friday, Sept. 15
Group 1: 8:45-10:15 a.m. MT
Group 2: 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MT

Saturday, Sept. 16
Group 1: 8:45-10:15 a.m. MT
Group 2: 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MT

Here we’ll get to see the prospects who might actually have a chance of making at least the preseason roster. The Burgundy and White Game, which takes place September 17 at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus at 10 10 a.m. MT, will be their final tryout for the preseason.

Next: 30 Under 30: Foundation Prospects

By then we’ll start getting an idea of who might actually comprise the Colorado Avalanche roster next season, especially on opening night.

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