Colorado Avalanche: Tyson Jost Gets Serious Again… Sort Of

Colorado Avalanche sophomore forward Tyson Jost displays more of his serious side as he gets ready for the 2018-19 season.

We all know Colorado Avalanche forward Tyson Jost as a jocular guy. He’s got an irrepressible grin and a downright bubbly personality.

Therefore, it was a surprise to me over the summer when I came across his Combine interview. In the interview, he was a serious and somber, downright sober kid. He barely smiled, and the intensity radiated off of him.

I wondered where that kid came from. Because he came to the Avalanche  as a shy soul fresh off of quitting college (to turn pro) and eventually blossomed into the most affable guy around — no small feat on a team that’s captained by Gabriel Landeskog.

Well, on Avalanche Media Day, sober Josty was back — mostly.

First of all, Tyson turned 20 just a few months ago. As we know, males can continue growing until the age of around 20. It happened to Nathan MacKinnon, who gained an inch between 19 and 20. It may well have happened to Jost, too, who came to camp leaner and meaner looking than even a month ago when he was on Biz Nasty’s show.

Attribute that to his new trainer. I had initially reported that Jost was returning to his old trainer in Kelowna, Shawn Stead, because that’s what he talked about with BSN Avalanche. Stead is part of the Vikings Weightlifting Training Facility in Kelowna, and his focus seems to be on power.

During his Media Day Presser, though, Jost stated that he’d switched to Andy O’Brien, with whom Nathan MacKinnon works and who has trained Erik Johnson. The former actually connected the two.

He talked about getting faster:

“I leaned out a little bit this year. A lot of track work and hill work. Explosive movements — drills that translate to skating.”

The result is feeling more fluid on the ice, having that extra jump, that extra step. And, as I noted in my training camp observations, it seems to have worked.

One of the main focuses for Tyson Jost was speed. Honestly, as Jost talked about his off-season, I really got a sense for that seriousness. Of course, we all know what pressure is facing the 20-year-old — he’s expected to take over the number-two center position this year. He acknowledges that while his main goal is to put up wins for the team, he adds:

"“I want to bring that secondary scoring and be that second-line center guy. Whatever it is — if I’m left wing or center, I want to bring that secondary scoring.”"

Tyson Jost didn’t have the rookie season any of us wanted, himself included. He suffered a slight abdominal injury in the preseason, which forced him to miss some games. Then an Adam McQuaid hit set him back again with a bone bruise.

Jost spoke about the situation:

"“I wasn’t really happy with how I performed last year. Obviously injuries didn’t help. This year I’m really excited to come in here and try and make a difference this team and in throughout the league.”"

Tyson also talked about being a difference-maker after the first day of training camp:

One of the things Jost talked about in his Combine interview was drive. I’m definitely not going to propose that drive left last season. It may have gotten lost in injuries and the reality of a long NHL season, but I don’t doubt for a second it was at least on a back burner with Jost.

It’s back on a front burner, if that’s a thing. Jost talks openly about the chip on the team’s shoulder:

"“We made the playoffs, we got that taste. Everybody in the locker room wants to get back there — that’s the expectation this year. There’s a couple people saying, ‘Oh, the Avs aren’t going to be as good this year as they were last year. They’re not going to make the playoffs.’ Other teams in our division got better and we didn’t. That’s just a chip on our shoulder, and we’re ready to prove everybody wrong again.”"

More from Mile High Sticking

• Could Colorado Avalanche move on from Pavel Francouz next offseason?
• 4 goalies to replace Pavel Francouz if he has to miss time
• Colorado Avalanche make sneaky signing with Tatar
• Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog could return in 2023-24 playoffs
• Colorado Avalanche rookie face-off tournament roster

One thing that hasn’t changed, even with Jost’s return to seriousness, is his willingness to keep elaborating on his point. One thing that has changed — Jost’s confidence. That’s not to say he wasn’t confident last season. Rather, he was clearly still a rookie, and a teen one at that.

During this presser, we saw a poised young man. The smiles were there, but they were tempered with that confidence. Case in point, when asked the impossible question of why he doesn’t consider last year’s playoff run a fluke, he almost smirks as he replies, “We made playoffs — I think that’s one of the main reasons. Straight evidence there.”

Another example — when asked about why there’s the dreaded sophomore slump, he laughs just slightly as he admits, “I don’t really have an answer for that… It’s something I’m not even really focusing on. I’m just excited to get on the ice and prove to everyone I have a lot more to offer than I did last year.”

Aaaaand, then a little goof, because this is our Josty we’re talking about. He looked pretty self-deprecating when asked if he could keep up with Nathan MacKinnon, especially pertaining to speed. “I mean, Nate’s world class. I’ll keep trying to strive for that — hopefully one day. Not yet, though.”

He was also asked about being in the same class of players as star Sidney Crosby, who attended the Vail Camp along with Jost and MacKinnon. funnily enough, he was less awe-struck about Sid than he was about his own teammate, Nate.

Don’t worry — the smile is still there:

At the end, our most promising sophomore offers a bit of wisdom:

"“We’re happy with last year, but we’re not satisfied.”"

That’s a pretty insightful evaluation of last season. The Colorado Avalanche should feel happy about going from the basement-dwelling 48-point season to making the playoffs. But you don’t want to be satisfied, or the journey ends there.

One of the great pleasures in the modern hockey era is getting to watch as players grow, from their draft days to their veteran days. Tyson Jost, just his second year into the NHL is still very much in the beginning of his trajectory. However, we’re already starting to get glimpses of the man he will become.