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Colorado Avalanche: Can Dominic Toninato Find his NHL Legs?

By Nadia Archuleta|
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 18: Dominic Toninato
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 18: Dominic Toninato

Colorado Avalanche forward Dominic Toninato is going to be looking to prove himself in the upcoming year. Will he be able to do so?

Colorado Avalanche college free agency signing Dominic Toninato completed his rookie season. Throughout his first NHL season, we were all on First Goal Watch. Alas, the forward finished the season with just two assists in 37 games.

I had high hopes for Toninato after the team signed him. I’m not saying those hopes have been dashed. However, we’ll go into the 2018-19 NHL season still on First Goal Watch. As frustrating as that is for us, that’s got to feel like excruciating pressure for Dom.

Scouting Dominic Toninato

The Colorado Avalanche made two college free agency signings last summer — Toninato and Alexander Kerfoot. Because of scouting reports, I was more certain Dom would transition into his NHL game — I thought Kerfoot would spend stretches of time at the AHL level.

I was misled about Kerfoot. (Read more)

Concerning Toninato, scouts had high praise for his skills. Here’s how Hockey’s Future analyzed his talent:

"“Toninato is a forward who excels in all zones. He is a versatile player with leadership qualities and can score goals as well as set up his team mates. Toninato is effective on both the powerplay and penalty-kill.”"

When the Avs signed him, here’s what GM Joe Sakic said of Toninato:

"“[Toninato]is a big, responsible two-way center and represents a solid prospect for the future of our team.”"

In college, Dom was scouted primarily as a defensive forward. Indeed, Hayden Soboleski of Dobbers Prospects heralds him for his “defensive acumen” who was a “great signing” by Colorado.

Currently, Toninato is scouted by The Hockey News as a “two-way center with a little upside.” His weaknesses are an ability to produce offonse at the highest level, while his defensive abilities are still praised.

Future of Toninato and the Colorado Avalanche

Because of injuries, Dominic Toninato split his time almost evenly between the Colorado Avalanche and San Antonio Rampage. Though he didn’t generate much offense at the NHL level — just those two assists — he did record seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 31 games with the Rampage.

Two of those seven goals came in one night, right at the beginning of his AHL career:

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With the Avs, Toninato didn’t do as poorly as his points indicates. He saw under eight minutes of ice time average per game. He averaged 0.7 shots on goal per game, which isn’t too bad for a rookie defensive forward. His CorsiFor % was 48.0.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward also played with some physicality. Dom blocked 14 shots and laid 24 hits. He was able to stay out of the box, earning just 12 penalty minutes, but he drew nine penalties. He was also the only Avalanche player to draw a suspension (rather than earn one) when Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson earned two games for boarding him.

Here in Avs Nation, we’re not used to seeing a lot of defensive forward action. We tend to like our forwards two-way, if not outright cherry pickers. So, it’s hard to judge how a defensive forward is developing.

This is Dom’s show-me year. As a college UFA, he got a two-year entry-level deal, and he’ll be going into that second year.

I think the key for Dominic Toninato is for him to get that first NHL goal out of the way. Once he’s got that monkey off his back, he can probably relax and play his style of game. Who knows? Maybe a defensive forward is just what the Colorado Avalanche need to counter all the puck-moving defensemen they have.

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