Colorado Avalanche: Goalie Adam Werner to Finally Join Organization

The Colorado Avalanche are welcoming a new goalie to their ranks, 22-year-old Swede Adam Werner. Their goalie depth is looking good.

The Colorado Avalanche signed goalie Adam Werner to a two-year, entry-level contract that starts next season. The 22-year-old Swede was Colorado’s fifth-round draft picks (#131 overall) in 2016.

Werner spent the majority of his career playing in the top-level Swedish leagues. Most recently, he was with Färjestad BK of the SHL, the highest division in Swedish hockey. He played 26 games this season, recording a 2.02 goals against average and .926 save percentage. Both are excellent, of course. His record was 15-6-3.

Adam Werner’s career had a strange twist last season. At the end of the 2017-18 season, the goalie joined the San Antonio Rampage, then Colorado’s AHL affiliate. He played four games with the Rampage, recording a 3.35 GAA and .880 save percentage.

The Swedish goalie has also represented his country, especially in his younger years:

• 2012-13: Sweden U16, 5 games played, 2.20 GAA, .923 save percentage
• 2013-14: Sweden U17, 6 games played, 2.51 GAA, .951 save percentage
• 2013-14: Sweden U18, 1 game played, 0 GAA, 1.00 save percentage
• 2014-15: Sweden U18, 8 games played, 3.82 GAA, .881 save percentage
• 2015-16: Sweden U19, 2 games played, 1.00 GAA, .939 save percentage
• 2016-17: Sweden U20, 3 games played, 3.31 GAA, .905 save percentage

The elephant in the room is this — Werner is an elephant. Or, more accurately, a giraffe. In the current trend of NHL goalies, Adam is tall and lanky — 6-foot-5, 200 pounds.

Here’s what Future Considerations had to say about Werner in 2015:

"“Werner is that big puck stopper who fills the net well and who has all NHL scouts salivating for what he could develop into. He has a great balance and is calm in net. He is a strong skater, showing the ability to quickly get into position and set himself up. Werner uses his size to cut down angles, is proficient in stopping cross-crease passes with his big paddle or by picking the puck out of the air with his glove. He displays good concentration throughout games and is focused, even when his teammates’ performances leave much to be desired in front of him. Considering that he is a big and modern style goal- tender, we think Werner could be the top stopper in the 2015 NHL Draft on one or more NHL teams’ lists as a raw, high upside talent to develop.”"

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Yet for some reason Werner wasn’t taken in that draft. That’s why he was available in 2016.

As of right now, the Colorado Avalanche have six goalies:

• Semyon Varlamov
• Philipp Grubauer
• Pavel Francouz
• Spencer Martin
• Joe Cannata
• Adam Werner

Varlamov, Francouz, and Cannata are pending unrestricted free agents, and Martin is a pending restricted free agent.

It’s hard to know who will be Philipp Grubauer’s backup goalie next year — could be Varlamov, could be Francouz, could be a free agent they pick up this summer. However, it won’t be Werner. I’m confident Colorado will be developing him at the AHL level, if not the ECHL level.

However, the Colorado Avalanche are finally getting their goalie crisis sorted out thanks to the signing of Adam Werner.