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Archive for September, 2009
The Avs Board Bash is Here!
Sep 30th
The new NHL season begins at Pepsi Center on Thursday afternoon starting at 6:45 pm when the Colorado Avalanche presents the historic Joe Sakic Retirement Ceremony. And in order to bring Sakic fans from all over the country together for a night of entertainment only the Guild can provide, we proudly bring you the first-annual Avs Board Bash!
Members from the Avalanche Message Board will be attending the game as a massive group in order to celebrate Joe Sakic’s career together while having the opportunity to take advantage of some great discounts throughout the night.
Then we turn things up a notch by hosting one of our exclusive After-Hours games for the group as well. So once the Avs are finished wiping the floor with Dany Heatley and the Sharks, you can catch close to 30 die-hard Avalanche fans playing in a friendly game of drop-in hockey on Pepsi Center ice, which caps off what will easily be one of the most memorable home games in Avalanche history!
Click above to learn more about the first-annual Avs Board Bash and remember, it’s still not too late to join us at the game. Just purchase your discounted tickets by clicking here!
Avs Weekly Begins Today!
Sep 28th
The Avalanche Guild’s in-depth radio analysis returns today with the first installment of a new weekly show totally dedicated to all things Avalanche.
Avalanche Weekly can be heard every Monday from 6-7p MDT and will be co-hosted by Justin Goldman, The Hockey Guild’s founder. This is his second season providing in-depth hockey analysis on the official radio partner of the Colorado Avalanche and his fifth on the Denver airwaves.
This show is going to be an excellent way to get caught up on the week that was and will be for the Avalanche. It will include discussions on the latest team news and notes, a look at the hot and cold players, a replay of the best highlights from the previous weeks and of course we’ll line up great interviews with some special guests.
So be sure to tune into AM 1510, KCKK every Monday afternoon starting at 6pm and support your favorite team and your favorite Guild! If you can’t catch the show on your radio dial, you can stream each show live online right here!
Avalanche Roster Finalized
Sep 27th
The Colorado Avalanche announced their last cuts today, ensuring that the future will arrive Oct. 1.
In their final cuts, the Avs announced the reassignment of center Chris Durno, defenseman Derek Peltier and goaltender Tyler Weiman to the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.
These cuts confirmed what Avalanche fans have all been hoping for: to see Matt Duchene in an Avs sweater during the season opener on Thursday. Also joining Duchene will be second round draft pick (#33 overall), center Ryan O’Reilly.
While Duchene was met with much anticipation, O’Reilly was met with curiosity. Thought to go in the top-20 in the NHL Entry Draft, O’Reilly fell all the way to the second round where the Avs management practically did an Irish jig while going up to the podium to select him.
O’Reilly has been described by NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards as, “…very responsible defensively. He backchecks hard and he’s very good at identifying his check in his own end. He’s very good at the defensive end of the game.”
O’Reilly has also been noted by Denver Post writer Adrian Dater for his great stick work.
Duchene, on the other hand, is seen as the new face of the franchise alongside, and even above, Paul Stastny. Duchene has great speed, quick wrists, a hard shot and prowess in the defensive zone. Up to the draft, there was talk that the Islanders might in fact take Duchene first of all. However, after a tense couple of hours, two selections and a fist pump, Duchene was selected by the Avs.
At the time of his selection Duchene thought that he was “really close” to being NHL ready and couldn’t wait until camp to try and make the team.
While the Avs wasted little time in signing Duchene on July 16, O’Reilly had to wait a little longer to get his entry-level contract. Coming into camp, O’Reilly flew under the radar but separated himself from the rest of the pack through his play and earned his three-year entry level contract on Sept. 21.
With the cuts, it is apparent that the Avs are at least going to test Duchene and O’Reilly, both 18 years old, in the first portion of the season. Now, the Avs get ten games to look at the future of their franchise and see exactly where it is heading.
This is a great step forward for the Avs, as they are giving their two brightest center prospects a chance to make the club for the entire season and try to make a difference that will allow this team to escape the cellar of the NHL.
Aaron Musick covers the Colorado Avalanche for HockeyBuzz and will be providing insight on The Avalanche Guild all season long!
Blogger RoundTable [Day 7 - Part I+II]
Sep 27th
On a day where most sports fans in Colorado are watching FOOTBALL, we’re proud to be talking HOCKEY. And thanks to the kind RoundTable leaders at Mile High Hockey, our wish to be the hosts of “goalie day” in the third-annual Blogger RoundTable has been granted.
So before we begin, we want to thank everyone over at MHH, especially David. Managing a RoundTable that has seen so much growth in just one (tough) year is not a simple task, especially combined with all of the other duties in life. But David has done an admirable job, so be sure to support his website and the rest of the RoundTable websites, for together we make a mighty solid crew of Avs informants.
But for those that know us best, you know we just simply couldn’t allow anyone else to host the juicy topic of goaltending. Just take one look at The Goalie Guild and you’ll see that…well…it’s kind of our thing. And through all these years of scouting the post-Roy era of Avs goaltending, after seeing this team play three pre-season games at Pepsi Center, there’s really a lot to be excited for when you check out the final roster in a few days.
PART 2: Should Tyler Weiman get called up AT LEAST ONCE this season, regardless of Anderson & Budaj’s play?
JUSTIN - I literally lost my voice a few times last year trying to explain my frustrations behind Tyler Weiman’s lack of opportunity in an Avalanche uniform. He has been one of the best goalies in six Avalanche Training Camps in a row and was more consistent in the last two camps than both Jose Theodore and Peter Budaj. I don’t want to be long-winded (har-har), but to give you a better idea of just how good he is on a league-wide scale, Weiman currently ranks #18 on my Top-50 Prospects list.
The biggest issue with not giving Weiman a chance is the negative impact it has on his development and the Avs’ goalie depth chart. Regardless of his age, Weiman needs to be playing at the NHL level in order to reach his highest potential. The more time Weiman spends playing in the AHL, the less chance he has at turning into a true NHL starter. He has the capability to be this team’s undisputed starter, but without giving him a chance to play some NHL games (meaningless or not), the Avs are losing traction with one of their most valuable prospects.
This also happened with Jason Bacashihua. He was an excellent goalie prospect that had legitimate NHL skills and even played 38 games over two years with the Blues a few years prior. But the Avalanche didn’t even give him a chance to play a single minute in the NHL. The result? Bacashihua was not given a qualifying offer by July 1 and just a few weeks later he was scooped up by the Capitals…with zero compensation going back to the Avs. So they basically gave away a quality goalie prospect, all because they couldn’t even give him a few games. If they did, maybe he plays well and maybe a team actually trades a draft pick for him.
Simply put, if the Avs don’t give quality goalie prospects a chance to show their stuff at the NHL level, they’ll never develop starting goalies within their own system. They’ll always be stuck trading for one or trying to draft the next Roberto Luongo.
SEAN PAYTON - No, not unconditionally. Barring injuries or trades that change Colorado’s goaltending situation, he should get called up if 1) Anderson and / or Budaj are struggling and 2) if his play in Lake Erie is strong enough that Sacco has the confidence to play him. If the goalies are white hot and Weiman has a .855 save percentage in the AHL, how can Sacco justify to the team that Weiman deserves to play?
That being said, I didn’t agree with the decision not to call up Weiman last year in garbage time in a year where Budaj and Raycroft’s play was clearly sub par. I think it’s likely that Budaj (who’s confidence comes and goes) struggles for a stretch at some point this season. As long as Weiman is solid in net for the Monsters, he should be called up.
MIKE - Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and disagree with Sean on this one. The Avalanche are rebuilding. The only way you find out what building blocks you have to build with (whether it’s trade fodder or guys you want to retain) is to get some time in the NHL. Especially at goaltending. I think he needs and deserves a hard 4-6 game look at some point this season. He’s not coming in to replace whoever the starter is at that time. He’s coming to ride the pine for 3 weeks and take the back-up’s starts.
JAY VEAN - I think the only way Weiman gets called up is if either Budaj or Anderson gets injured. Even if Budaj struggles, I just can’t see the organization sending him to Lake Erie. There just aren’t that many former number one goaltenders that become full-time backups (unless they’re towards the end of their careers), let alone get sent down for extended amounts of time. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to see Weiman with the big club though. I’ll welcome anyone that can stop pucks on a consistent basis. That would be a welcome change for sure.
ANGELIQUE - Tyler Weiman should receive a real opportunity to compete for the backup spot in Colorado, but considering Peter Budaj’s salary, that is unlikely to occur. Weiman is unlikely to see a recall unless both Craig Anderson and Budaj struggle, or either succumbs to injury. I believe Weiman is talented enough to be a NHL backup, but I’m beginning to wonder if that opportunity will ever come in Colorado.
Weiman will be the number one goalie for the Lake Erie Monsters this season, whereas he split time with Jason Bacashihua in 2008-09. The heavy load should prepare Weiman if he does get the opportunity to play for the Avalanche this season.
DAVID - I thought last season presented a good opportunity to bring Weiman up, but it never happened. As Angélique mentioned, he’s going to be the #1 guy in Lake Erie this year – a club that could really use its first ever playoff berth. With that in mind, Weiman will probably only get called up this year if there’s an injury to Budaj or Anderson.
GRANT - Weiman *should* get called up, but I am almost certain he won’t. The real question is whether Weiman will clear waivers after he gets sent down. If he does get picked up, it will hopefully be with a team that will give him the NHL opportunity he deserves (and didn’t get last year).
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PART 1: Is Craig Anderson capable of playing 55-60 games and winning 30 for the first time in his career?
JUSTIN- Although I could go on for pages and pages about Anderson’s abilities and how quickly fans will no doubt rally around his great work ethic, that’s honestly something for you to experience once the regular season starts. I have been scouting Anderson since his days with the Chicago Blackhawks and to be quite frank, it’s not only a legitimate argument to make that Anderson is the best goalie the Avalanche have had since Patrick Roy, it’s downright obvious.
The biggest point we can make about Anderson is this: he is primed for a break-out season and from a long-term perspective, he could easily become regarded as one of the best U-S born goaltenders in the game. He has great size combined with excellent foot speed, making him one of the most efficient goalies around. His save percentage over the last two years is the highest in the NHL and his presence in the crease is noticeable and intimidating. He also displays one vital trait that we all know Peter Budaj struggles with - rebound control.
So we not only feel that Anderson will easily play 55-60 games, but we think he’ll have a shot at winning 30 games. Like most responses below, the 30-win plateau is pretty unrealistic, but not because of Anderson’s lack of skill or effort. Sometimes a goalie can only take a team so far, right?
But hey, at least Avalanche fans are finally guaranteed to see a starting goaltender that has the confidence and poise to win a lot of game, no matter how many shots he faces or where the shots come from.
Click to read about the design on Anderson’s new mask!
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JIBBLESCRIBBITS - I think Anderson is capable of playing more than 55 games, but I’m not sure he will. I think the coaching staff is going to try and play Budaj some to try and prop up his trade value. He needs to have a good season for anyone to be willing to take him on, so I expect to see Budaj on the tail end of back-to-backs and against some of the weaker competition.
That said I think Anderson will be good. I don’t think he’ll win 30 games though because the Avs are going to struggle to win much more than 30 games total. I see Budaj picking up about 5-10 and Anderson with 22-27 or so.
NIC FROM AVAHOLICS ANONYMOUS - Sure Anderson is capable of playing 55-60 games and he definitely should. Winning 30 is also a possibility. Last season the Avs were at the top of the league in 1 goal games. A large part of that was because the goalies could not make the big save in the big moment. If Anderson could make those same stops that Budaj and Raycroft failed to make last season, GA should go down and lead to more wins. From what I’ve seen in Anderson, he plays big in net and brings more confidence than Budaj has in his game. If that same confidence spreads to the rest of the guys on the ice, 30 wins is definitely a possibility.
TAPELEG – He’s going to have to. The Avalanche fans are getting tired of waiting for the Peter Budaj of a few years ago to resurface. After seeing him flail, and every other goalie that has come through after Patrick Roy either do poorly or move on, Craig Anderson needs to be a solid number one. I’m not saying he needs to be the second coming in net, but he was hired to be the number one goalie, and he will have to step up to that challenge. No one else is going to take the job away from him (unless Budaj remembers what worked for him a few years ago).
MIKE @ MHH- So the question is basically “Can Anderson win as many games this season as Budaj and Raycroft won all of last season? Ummm, no. Not with the team that has been assembled in front of him. I think he’ll be more likely to keep the Avs in more games, but I don’t honestly expect the outcome to be all that different. I figure him for the 23-27 win range at most with Budaj getting 5-8 wins too.
DAVID @ MHH – Can Anderson play 55-60 games? Sure, although he’s only played 50+ twice in his career – 59 one year in juniors and 58 in 2003-2004 between the AHL and NHL. Will he win 30 games? On a team that won just 32 games last year? Not. Very. Likely.
Starting tomorrow, you can also find more of our in-depth Avalanche analysis on KCKK 1510 AM, Mile High Sports Radio. This is our second year providing color commentary and hockey insight on the official radio partner of the Avalanche (and our fifth on KBPI’s Uncle Nasty Show), so join us every Monday from 6-7pm for Avalanche Weekly, the show that’s all things Avalanche from the week that was and will be. The show will also be streamed on www.milehighsports.com.
Blogger RoundTable [Day 5]
Sep 25th
The opening week of the third-annual Avalanche Blogger RoundTable has been a successful journey into the deep forests of this team’s upcoming hockey season. But no journey is complete without meeting some new characters and making new friends along the way.
Today is dedicated to another pair of new RoundTable members as we introduce Brian Thompson from the Colorado Avalanche Examiner and Magnum, otherwise known as the Disgruntled Avalanche Blogger. And even though we all have way too much fun with the RoundTable, we still mean business.
This morning the Colorado Avalanche Examiner take a look at the off-season move that proved to be most intelligent and the one that proved to be the most ignorant. That’s followed up in the afternoon by taking a trip on the Avalanche time machine to see if this strong core of young players could potentially battle for the Stanley Cup!
Blogger RoundTable [Day 4]
Sep 24th
What could possibly be better than honoring the fourth day of the Colorado Avalanche Blogger RoundTable than by having the one and only Jibblescribbits hosting two questions?!
Called “Popular” by the one and only Adrian Dater, Jibblescribbits is every Avalanche fan’s favorite sultan of sarcasm, so we’re proud to give him one of the most amorphic questions of the year. Yes, it’s nearly impossible to know just which Avs player will be traded next or what they would fetch on the open market, but that never stopped us before!
Mile High Hockey also posted a poll on their homepage as well, so as always, be sure to check it out and keep supporting the Colorado Avalanche RoundTable members.
Avs 3, Kings 2
Sep 23rd
The Colorado Avalanche turned a slow start into a strong finish with goals from Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk and T.J. Hensick en route to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings tonight. The next game the Avalanche will play at Pepsi Center is on Thursday, Oct. 1 after Joe Sakic’s Retirement Ceremony.
Craig Anderson was quite solid in his second game as an Avalanche. He made 30 saves (13 in the first) and one penalty shot with only 70 seconds left in the second period to win one of those all-important one-goal game. In two full home pre-season games, Anderson has only allowed three goals against.
+ Once again Craig Anderson started the game with two strong saves in which he didn’t allow a rebound. The second one was a nice glove save well above his blue paint. This had a calming influence on a lineup that lacked Adam Foote on the blueline and throughout the first period. His ability to square up and take away space without giving up rebounds was a major factor in making 13 solid saves.
+ Focus is one of Anderson’s strongest mental talents. Like the rest of the team, he didn’t have the best footwork in the first period, but he still tracked the puck with intensity. That allowed him to make excellent first saves and settle in by the time the second frame started.
- Anderson handled the puck way too many times in this game. In fact, his inability to clear the puck hard around the boards were the cause of both goals against. It led to Peter Harrold’s goal at 11:17 of the first period and then Trevor Lewis’ short-handed goal with 2:12 left in the game. He’s not a weak stick handler by any means, but the right decision would have been to leave it alone in both instances.
+ The second period was another quality display of his focus. While the forwards were busy turning the game around with 13 shots on goal, Anderson had to deal with much less action, facing only six shots. But one of them included a perfect right-pad save on a penalty shot by Marc-Andre Cliche with only :70 seconds left. It was a routine save, but it was very timely.
+ Brett Clark was noticeably rusty in the first period. Anze Kopitar made a nifty move right around him on the very first shift of the game, which resulted in a good scoring chance against. But he settled in by the time the third period rolled around and finished with a strong outing and of course a few blocked shots in 20:28 of ice time.
+ Give credit to Matt Hendricks and Cody McLeod for dropping the gloves with Rich Clune in the first half of the first period. It was a perfect example of Joe Sacco’s ability to match LA’s toughness. Clune was basically running around and the Avs responded in good fashion. Hendricks also had an effective fight with Matt Greene halfway through the third period when the Kings were making a final push.
+ Kyle Cumiskey was very rusty in this game and did not display a lot of poise or confidence with the puck. He was unable to handle a few pucks coming his way just inside the blue line, which allowed the Kings to transition with speed for a few scoring chances. He was called for a (weak) penalty that led to Cliche’s penalty shot. His speed of course was noticeable, but so was his lack of poise in a handful of situations.
+ Derek Peltier played another solid game in his own zone in 16:28 of ice and had zero turnovers or giveaways. He didn’t make any bad decisions that resulted in an LA scoring opportunity. With Tom Preissing’s injury opening the door for one more defenseman (or at least resulting in one less player being cut), it was obvious in this game that Peltier’s performance was stronger than Cumiskey’s.
+ The most noticeable aspect for the offense tonight was the tenacious and consistent forecheck deep in LA’s zone. This has continued to be a positive change in the three home games so far. Forwards like Milan Hejduk, Marek Svatos and Matt Duchene did an excellent job of applying pressure behind the Kings’ net and taking away time and space with the puck.
+ The Avs have been one of the most dynamic and potent scoring teams from plays behind the net and it looks like this will be another trademark this season. Except now it will include forcing turnovers with their strong forecheck.
+ In the first and last shift of the first period, this forecheck created a huge scoring chance for Duchene and Stastny. Erik Ersberg thwarted them both en route to 22 impressive saves. In fact, through the first two periods, Colorado already had seven (7) takeaways, two of which were from Stastny.
+ I give the coaching staff a lot of credit for making some great adjustments during the first intermission. The Avs came out in the second with a much more physical tone to their game, which counteracted what the Kings were doing. The Avs were out-shot in the first period 14-7 but reversed the totals in the second by a count of 13-6. Joe Sacco deserves credit for getting all of his players on the same page with this shift in style and making it work quickly.
+ Wojtek Wolski made a few great plays in this game, thanks in part to his improved body positioning. On Stastny’s goal, it was Wolski that lured a Kings defenseman out of position by attacking the net. That created some open space in the slot, which is right where Stastny found a loose puck. Ersberg was deep in his crease as he tried to find the puck and was unable to get a right pad on Stastny’s shot. But you have to credit Wolski for driving to the net.
+ David Jones left the game early with what was described as a bruised chest, but by the time the game was over, x-rays were already negative for any major injuries.
+ If the forwards continue to play a more well-rounded game in which they play strong on both ends of the ice, the Avalanche will win more one-goal games than they did last year. I have noticed the phrase “strong on the forecheck” more in the last two weeks than I did all of last season.
- Anderson needs to stay in his crease. It’s obvious he wants to see as much action as possible, so tonight he was prone to venturing out of his net way too often. Some situations and decisions are routine and beneficial, but others are simply unnecessary. Both goals he allowed were results of situations and decisions that were unnecessary.
+ I was really impressed and excited with Sacco’s ability to make adjustments to his team’s style of play within a game. It was very obvious that he was able to match the physical tone presented by the Kings in the first period. They had a beefy lineup that included tough guys like Matt Greene and Raitis Ivanans and Sacco was able to match lines effectively with McLeod and Hendricks.
Blogger RoundTable [Day 3]
Sep 23rd
The third-annual Colorado Avalanche RoundTable proudly introduces a few new members and host today as we continue our trek to dissect the upcoming Avalanche regular season. One of the most noticeable changes this team made over the summer was easily the hiring of Joe Sacco as the new head coach. But what kind of impact will he make and will it ultimately be for the better?
Adam Hersh, who manages the website An Avalanche of Thoughts, hosts the question of what suggestion the RoundTable members would give to Sacco as he prepares for his first season as head coach.
Nic Zamora runs Avaholics Anonymous and digs into the nitty gritty of what changes Sacco will actually bring to the team.
As always, be sure to check in with Mile High Hockey early each morning as they set the table (har har) for the day’s topics!
Blogger RoundTable [Day 2]
Sep 22nd
The third-annual Avalanche RoundTable continues today with a pair of prospect-related questions. Obviously our question regarding Ryan Stoa has to make Avalanche fans chuckle just a little bit, but hey, it’s still great fodder for the masses. Considering how young this team is right now, we won’t be surprised to see him get called up at some point in the season anyways.
Our good friend Angelique over at Colorado Avalanche Prospects is the home for today’s question related to defenseman Kyle Cumiskey. Definitely bookmark her website if you haven’t already – she is an excellent source for Avalanche prospect news, analysis and updates.
GEO from The Avs Factor has the inglorious task of hosting today’s second question, one that is sure to be embraced with plenty of sarcastic remarks from many of the bloggers that took some quality time to answer this question while he was still up with the big club.
Enjoy today’s discussions and be sure to keep visiting our master of ceremonies over at Mile High Hockey to stay updated on the entire Avalanche RoundTable mission!
Blogger RoundTable [Day 1]
Sep 21st
Jibblescribbits – If he does it again I shall taunt him a second time. I could do more than a twitter response eh? But I don’t really know what to say. The idea that the Avs online presence isn’t strong is preposterous. I’m not really sure how to increase it.
The Dog & Pony Show – Aside from blogging more, I’m not exactly sure how to increase the presence. From the looks of it there are even more Avs bloggers this year. Perhaps what we could do is start posting comments on other pages, i.e. snide comments on Wild blogs about how they still don’t have a Stanley Cup in Minnesota…and that’s counting the North Stars too!
Avslova Factor - Personally, I’m disgusted that we’d even consider trying to prove a “completely objective, master-of-deduction Wild blogger” wrong. It’s impossible. But as Aaron said, if anything, the number of Avalanche bloggers is going up. This is a year where the bandwagon fans will be separated from those who are hard-core and do-or-die. The fact that this Roundtable has grown so much in three years is a testament to the Avalanche’s online presence. After all, it’s pretty tough to write about a team that has about a .00004% chance of making the playoffs, or even seriously contending for a spot.
Aaron Musick – A way to increase exposure is just to get our name out there. Cover our team so well that no one can say “where are the Avs bloggers?” Show them what we can do, show them what it take to cover this Avs team and what they did, are doing and will do. Simple as that and then, if some ignoramus blogger wants to put us 26th we can rub our coverage over his face.
Mike - I’m all for any humiliation tactic. And pranks. He’s a Wild fan after all. He probably needs a laugh.
DDC – It’s unfortunate that one pinhead can besmirch the reputation of two groups at once. For example, Wild bloggers are, in general, much more intelligent than that brilliant maroon.
The Avalanche online presence isn’t as bad as it has been painted. Officially, the team has some work to do in that area, but they are making some small strides with their sporadic twitter updates and more informative stories on their official site. The team still seems reluctant to recognize the blogging community, but we know they are keeping an eye on us all as we develop. I think the sheer size and diversity of this roundtable – now in its 3rd year – says all that needs to be said about our online presence.
Check back here every day leading up to October 1 for more RoundTable questions and answers. Remember to visit the contributors’ websites and blogs often throughout the season to stay informed on your Colorado Avalanche!
Avs 2, Blues 1 [OT]
Sep 20th
A slick Milan Hejduk wrist shot just 48 seconds into overtime rang off the left post and eluded Ty Conklin’s glove to give the Colorado Avalanche a 2-1 overtime victory at Pepsi Center tonight. In a game that saw 60 shots in less than 61 minutes, it was pretty much the goalies and the grinders that stole the spotlight.
After witnessing a few style changes in Thursday’s 3-1 win over defunct Dallas, it looks like head coach Joe Sacco is working hard to get the forwards to play with a stronger defensive effort and more energy. And tonight there was no better reflection of this style than the play of Chris Durno. Not only was he a physical force in all three zones and strong at killing penalties with Cody McLeod, he had a great work ethic all night long and chipped in offensively.
Combined with the play of newcomer Kyle Quincey, who was brilliant with the puck and displayed a ton of poise, it was a confident win that stemmed from solid plays in their own zone. Similar to the game against Dallas, this one was also highlighted by a couple of great offensive plays backed by focused, solid goaltending.
+ Peter Budaj showed excellent composure and focus in this game. Mentally he was sharp and confident on every shot that came his way. He played higher in his crease than we saw throughout Training Camp, so his solid size was even more of a factor against some of the young Blues forwards.
- The goal he allowed (5-on-3) was a slap shot that went off Scott Hannan’s leg. He had no chance at it, but you could tell he was still slightly rattled from it. The next five or six shots were not handled with the same composure as the first five or six.
+ Budaj only needed to stop five shots in the third period, but he did exactly what he has to do to win games this year and that is stop them when it matters most. His poise on the penalty kill when Hejduk went off for hooking with only 5:17 left in the game was a perfect example of this.
- The Avs were short-handed for 6:13 of the entire first period due to some lazy penalties by Darcy Tucker and T.J. Galiardi, which led to the 5-on-3 goal by Erik Johnsonthat actually went off Hannan’s leg.
+ As a whole, I thought the Avs had much more energy while short handed and showed a stronger work ethic that forced a lot of Blues players into tough or unproductive situations. They were not afraid to front players and push them off the puck – and that’s including the forwards like Paul Stastny (2:44 of short handed TOI) and especially Cody McLeod (3:26 of short handed TOI).
+ But no forward was more impressive on the defensive side of the puck than Chris Durno. He had great positioning, was quick to the puck and had the agility and hands to take away passing lanes in a hurry. He actually logged the second-most time on the ice while short handed at 3:38.
+ Kyle Quincey was a total beast tonight. He was the most physical defenseman in the game and also made excellent decisions with the puck. He has the ability to jump-start offensive plays by forcing turnovers with his physical play and either creating his own chances or making a solid pass up the ice. He laid out a massive hip check in the third period, one of his game-high four hits.
+ I give a lot of credit to Matt Duchene in tonight’s game. He was much more comfortable with the physical and intense nature of the NHL game. He wasn’t nearly as hesitant to battle for the puck in the high-traffic areas like around front of the net and in the corners below the hash marks.
+ I could really notice Duchene’s ability to start turning up the physical play. He was much better at matching his style to the flow of the game. What I really like about his play so far is that he’s working hard in a ton of different situations. Tonight I saw him play the point on the man advantage with Liles, and once again he had a role in killing penalties for a few shifts.
+ The power play had a very interesting line out there in tonight’s game. It was completely stacked to score and included Liles and Duchene on the point with Stastny, Hejduk and Svatos up front. Even though they went 0-for-3 in the game, they had five quality scoring chances and had more movement with the puck and with their bodies. This is great to see, because a lack of movement was, in my opinion, their biggest issue on the PP last year.
- Colorado’s power play units don’t look very cohesive right now. Although there was much better puck movement with the forwards, it didn’t culminate in many effective playes. I noticed that Hannan put a few shots on net where Conklin had nobody in front of him and was able to make easy saves.
+ Svatos once again looked extremely healthy and quick. I can’t remember the last time Svatos started a season completely healthy, but it’s pretty noticeable that he’s not afraid to get rough in front of the net to try and find the puck. He didn’t generate that much tonight, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort.
- Tucker took a very bad penalty in the first while the Avs were already down a man that led to Johnson’s 5-on-3 goal. Tonight was not one of his better games, especially in the first two periods. But he finished a check in the third period that led to T.J. Galiardi’s goal that tied the game at 1-1, so like Hejduk, Tucker made up for a previous blunder. He ended up as a +1 with two shots on goal and logged the most ice time for a forward while shorthanded at 3:47.
+ Durno helped set up the play that led to Galiardi’s goal. He did this by carrying the puck into the offensive zone with speed and powered his way behind Conklin’s net. At that point he skated right to the bench for a line change. A few seconds later, Tucker finished his hit along the boards and Galiardi scored. Not many guys get an assist from the bench, but Durno pulled it off on that play.
+ Around the 7:20 mark Durno drew a penalty by simply carrying the puck with confidence and once again powering his way to the net. A lot like David Jones, Durno has the size and speed to make a lot of plays where you bury a shoulder and head towards the goal with a power move. If you have the ability to play that way, it’s a style that any NHL coach would want on their final roster at the start of the season.
+ Cody McLeod was the other positive performer of the night. He was a beast killing penalties with Durno, he was gritty around the net, he was effective defensively with three blocked shots and he was generating offense behind Conklin’s net. His highlight was definitely the fight with Blues prospect Ryan Reaves, as they both tossed some wild punches while swinging around in circles for close to a minute at 17:34 of the middle frame.
- I think the Avalanche would benefit from talking a lot more on the ice. Giving linemates the heads up or just shouting out their defensive assignment is a simple thing that goes a long way. A veteran coach working a young team will pay attention to a detail like that, so I wasn’t surprised to hear a lot of the Blues players talking up a storm. If anything, it made them seem just a little bit more efficient in their line changes and in synch with their defensive positioning.
+ I think this team needs to develop a power forward that will go into the prime scoring area and establish a presence right in front of goaltenders. Now more than ever - without Ryan Smyth – this type of presence is a necessity. Forwards like Durno, Jones, Chris Stewart, McLeod or maybe even David Koci would probably see their minutes rise by filling this void. No matter what way you slice it, if you consistently distract a goalie and take away his space and comfort level, your team will score more goals over the course of a season.
Avs 3 vs. Stars 1
Sep 17th
In the first game at Pepsi Center in this 2009-10 season, the Colorado Avalanche took advantage of a morbidly discombobulated Dallas Stars defense with a pair of brilliant offensive plays en route to a convincing 3-1 victory.
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Although many aspects of this meaningless pre-season game was impressive from Colorado’s point of view, this game was a lot more about Dallas straight up sleep walking through the first two periods. Their defensive pairings failed to make more than a few plays coming out of their own zone all night long, which resulted in plenty of screams from new head coach Marc Crawford.
So take tonight’s notes with a grain of Texas-sized salt, because the Stars had a very weak effort tonight. Dallas did play last night, but in the pre-season travel or being tired is no excuse because you almost carry two full squads to begin with.
+ Craig Anderson played 60 minutes for the Avalanche tonight, but compared to what he faced last season, this was easily half of a hockey game. He faced two shots in the first period. The first one was a quick and sharp glove save and the second one was re-directed past him by Brenden Morrow after Brian Fahey failed to clear the puck while shorthanded. The rest of the night, he was solid when he had to be and finished with 18 saves.
+ I was impressed with Anderson’s quick feet with plays where the puck was right around his crease. For those that haven’t seen him live yet, you’ll love his intimidating size and more importantly, his awesome ability to make the “desperate” save. But he still takes away plenty of time and space thanks to his excellent body positioning.
+ Anderson is not only extremely big in the butterfly, he’s extremely agile and limber. But the impressive aspect of his game to me tonight was his ability to get a toe or a skate blade on some pucks that otherwise would have slipped through a slightly smaller or slower goalie.
+ His glove hand was sharper than I remember it being before and his first save of the game was a sign of strong focus.
- The only goal that got past him was a redirection in front of the net. It was a bad play by the Avs’ defense as they turned the puck over to Stephane Robidas, who fired a shot on goal. But Morrow was able to redirect it right at the hash marks. It may have hit something else on the way in, as I was on the wrong side of the puck.
+ I have to close by saying it was a very good decision by Sacco to keep Anderson in the game for the full 60 minutes. I am not sure if this was planned or adjusted on the fly, but it was absolutely the right decision. Goaltending for Anderson is so much about rhythm and every goalie in his situation wants to see as many pucks as possible. Give credit to the coaching staff for giving Anderson the playing time.
+ The defensive pairings as a whole looked a little more poised in their own zone than last season and they had more patience with the puck. They didn’t opt to just clear it off the boards in a desperate manner and they actually made a few nice “D-to-D” passes to push the play up the ice. I could sense not nearly as much “panic” as usual, but again, Dallas made it very easy on the Avalanche defensemen all night long.
+ A lot of the above came from the defensive pairing of Adam Foote and Cameron Gaunce, which was very steady and strong tonight. Foote had a very calming influence early in the game, as he spent half of his first few shifts either circling the puck back into his zone or just slowly pushing it up ice.
+ Gaunce was by far the most impressive defensive player on the ice. His size combined with his agility is noticeable and impressive for just a 19-year-old. He has poise, confidence and patience and it showed tonight more than it did in camp. Keep in mind that Dallas hardly had a forecheck in this game, so I don’t feel like he was challenged much at all. I think he played very close to 20 minutes in this game and I was astonished with his overall composure.
+ The Avs were noticeably had more of a purpose with their physical play along the boards. Way too many shifts last year lacked energy and grit. It’s impossible to win games if you can’t win the small battles, so I was excited to see Colorado win almost all of them tonight. Again, Dallas was weak, slow and totally out of synch tonight, so I don’t read into it too much. After all, it was just the first game of the season.
+ I would say Colorado did a great job of overall positioning and showing solid containment and situational awareness. They didn’t collapse too deep on Anderson and they were more physical than usual. Some forwards that don’t always embrace the physical aspect of playing defense actually got into it a little bit.
+ David Koci is a great presence on the ice and can keep up with solid skating and ice awareness. He dropped the gloves with Krys Barch but nothing really big was landed. I thought he was a good presence on the ice and can chip in some goals if he’s opportunistic this season. For only 5:44 of ice time, he was quite noticeable on the ice.
+ Brian Fahey didn’t make a poised play on the penalty kill early in the game that led to Morrow’s goal, but he did show some resolve by jumping into a few plays in the second period. He didn’t turtle up and he stayed strong throughout the rest of the game. It’s a moral victory for sure.
+ Paul Stastny looked great all night and was very responsible defensively. You can tell he’s loose and healthy and excited for the season. As soon as Foote was named the team captain, I saw the positives of the decision. Stastny has no pressure and Footer could probably care less, he’s been there before with the Blue Jackets. Great move by the organization for sure.
+ Wojtek Wolski actually had one of the most impressive shifts I’ve ever seen in his career. For Colorado’s third goal, he actually embraced and initiated a physical play along the boards by making a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on a Stars player along the boards. Wolski jarred the puck loose and was able to push it up along the boards to Stastny. But that wasn’t the impressive part…
+ Instead of standing around or sauntering through the slot, Wolski actually released off the boards after pushing the puck to Stastny and went straight to the net to get into a prime scoring position. It ended up with Stastny making a beautiful behind-the-back, give-and-go pass and Wolski one-timing it over Matt Climie’s glove. I have to wonder if this is something they either set up in practice or talked about during the game and worked up. Either way, it was easily the offensive highlight of the night.
- In the offensive zone, Wolski seemed more confident and physical than ever before. He actually went into traffic areas and had a presence. In the defensive zone, he did not impress me. I did notice a few plays where his angles and spacing made him seem like more of a presence, but overall it was not great.
+ The other positive offensive play would be Ryan Stoa’s poised play with the puck coming off the half-boards in the second period to give the Avs a 2-1 lead. He played even bigger than his 6-foot-0 200-pound frame. He created some great space for himself by powering to the middle of the slot and then fired a shot against the grain on Alex Auld. Even more exciting to see was the fact he created his own opportunity by making a monster hit in the offensive zone earlier in the shift. I hope he keeps doing that, because it is definitely an infective style of play.
+ Marek Svatos’goal was a typical Svatos play, as he roofed the puck over Auld’s glove in tight. It was a smooth play and it was great to see, as Svatos looks totally healthy and limber. Similar to Wolski, I was impressed with his more physical, in-your-face play in the offensive zone, but not so much in the defensive zone. They both lost assignments at times and failed to show an effort when they had a chance to either knock a puck loose or force a Stars player into a tough situation.
+ Cody McLeod did a good job of puck possession behind the net in the third period. He was more of a role player that adjusted his game depending on the situation. Personally I think that’s a great role for him as he attempts to learn from what Ian Lapperiere hopefully taught him. This team needs a role player that can pitch in with offense and I’m confident McLeod will play that role perfectly.
+ Matt Duchene’s speed and ice awareness was very noticeable tonight. He was much more comfortable when he played with a man up, but that’s also to be expected. I noticed that he did not seem out of place whatsoever in any situation. He even got a few minutes of penalty killing time and was responsible with his assignments. He has an active stick and very good hands for such an offensive-minded player.
- His tense play is very noticeable when he has to deal with physical pressure or physical play. A few post-game comments by Joe Sacco pointed out that he’s going to have to deal with that transition, but added, “…he’ll be fine…” in a confident manner.
- I take this entire game to be nothing more than meaningless notes since Dallas was so weak in their own zone. But regardless, Anderson, Gaunce, Stoa, Stastny and Wolski were legitimate stars in this game.
- We hope you will enjoy these type of notes for almost all of the home games this season. These are not your typical post-game comments and as you can see, we are now embracing our style that makes us unique. There’s no denying it, we are much more comfortable covering the Avalanche from a player’s (goaltender’s in this case) perspective. We have been playing all our lives…so at this point it just makes sense.
- If you’re not familiar with our coverage of the goaltending position, check out www.thegoalieguild.com!
Tyler Weiman and Peter Budaj
Sep 16th
The 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche Training Camp closed yesterday (Tuesday) and I was fortunate enough to soak in a few more drills with Peter Budaj and Tyler Weiman.
Personally, today was a very cool experience. I noticed that on Sunday, none of the nets were equipped with Edge ProTech skate blade protectors. I’m pretty sure a ton of NHL equipment managers are using them on a consistent basis, so I made sure to bring a pair with me.
When Weiman was heading on the ice, I caught him before he hit the ice and asked if he wanted to borrow them. He gladly accepted of course, so I’m proud to say that The Goalie Guild helped Weiman and Budaj save the edges on their blades throughout this mini-practice session with Jocelyn Thibault.
This first video is pretty straightforward. Anytime a goalie works on their lateral movement while in the butterfly, it’s actually more beneficial for me to watch upper body positioning. Pretty much every NHL/AHL goalie is solid at pushing off in a strong and efficient manner, so the main thing I key in on is their upper body, including the shoulders, chest and arms.
(video removed per 72-hour NHL Media policy)
Budaj was definitely more relaxed than he was on Sunday, but his rebound control still left something to be desired. But the one thing that really stuck out through this second set of drills was his slight leaning to the left (glove side).
It’s not a major defect or anything like that, but to me it’s a noticeable difference compared to Weiman’s upper body positioning. Budaj’s shoulders are broader, but his left arm and glove is so tight to his side that he looks too tense. Weiman’s shoulders to me are much more relaxed and parallel to the crossbar.
(video removed per 72-hour NHL Media policy)
The first thing I’d point out right away from this third video is Budaj’s body language. The first four seconds he’s caught hunched over with his head down. Now I can’t tell if this is from fatigue or if he’s trying to focus, but regardless, I think the key for a goalie is to always stand up straight. Not only is it easier to breathe, it’s just overall much better body language.
The first shot he faces results in a juicy rebound and the puck being roofed over his glove (by Adam Deadmarsh). I was not very impressed with Budaj’s body language after he allowed that goal. Once again his head was buried and he was all hunched over. On the rest of the shots, his shoulders are noticeably slanted and he barely leans to his left. This isn’t a major thing, but it’s noticeable.
(video removed per 72-hour NHL Media policy)
Overall, I’m still very impressed with Weiman’s composure, confidence and body language. He’s a little bigger in the net than Budaj thanks to a slightly wider stance and butterfly and he has a tremendous attitude. Budaj was not nearly as rusty as he was on Sunday, but I still wasn’t that impressed with his body language and rebound control.
And yes, Tyler was very nice in returning my Edge ProTech’s back. Thanks Weims!!
Judge the Blood
Sep 14th
A prospect can improve at an incredibly fast rate when someone that mastered the position at the NHL level is constantly providing that prospect with feedback. Especially with a position like goaltending, one that relies on non-stop progression and refinement, having a goalie consultant that understands the nature of the game (especially in 2009) and can relate to today’s elite puck stoppers is the most important factor in developing the goalie depth chart.
Jocelyn Thibault, just one full season removed from his 14-year NHL career, was quietly named the new goalie consultant for the Colorado Avalanche last week. Sure enough, Thibault was on the ice Sunday morning for the first day of Avs Training Camp and did some remarkable work that I’m proud to share with you today. It was a beneficial morning for me in a number of ways, none more important than learning what kind of an instant impact Thibault had on some of the Avalanche goalie prospects.
But before we dig into the nitty-gritty, let’s go through a few other notes I had from the first day of Avs training camp:
PETER BUDAJ – Budaj was extremely rusty throughout the first hour of camp. He simply never got into much of a rhythm. He was playing a half-step deeper than usual and struggled with his rebound control. He never seemed comfortable and his upper body seemed tight. His body language reflected a lot of tense frustration as he reacted late to some shots and dropped early on others.
It was fairly obvious to me that Budaj was feeling the heat in a number of ways. In fact, one could argue that he’s facing more pressure than any other Avalanche player. Not only is he set to be dethroned by Craig Anderson, but he’s also constantly being pushed by a confident Tyler Weiman.
From a fantasy perspective, I wouldn’t put much value in Budaj’s stock heading into the season. Between Weiman and Anderson, Budaj has the least amount of confidence and is also under the most scrutiny from the media and fans. Unfortunately, the biggest enemy Budaj will face all season will be himself. And until he comes to an internal realization that he has to show more composure, Budaj will struggle to play consistently and run hot and cold.
TYLER WEIMAN – With even better footwork than before, Weiman is still consistently progressing. Even on a horrible Lake Erie team last year, Weiman was one of the steadiest performers in the AHL. He looks sharper than usual and skated with a lot of confidence, like he was totally bulletproof. He’s no longer fazed by anything or anyone, nor should he, for this is his seventh consecutive Avs training camp. His mindset and body language was terrific.
To be blunt, Weiman is so solid that Budaj seems to be hanging on by a thread. I don’t mean to take away from Budaj’s game, but it’s getting to the point where even the casual Avs fan is wondering why Weiman has only played half a period in the NHL. This is a question that has to be asked over and over again because there’s simply no excuse for not giving him at least one opportunity this season.
So it’s my conviction that Weiman will be called up at least once and play extremely well in his limited chances. In the meantime, at least we know he’ll get plenty of work and minutes in the AHL.
BILLY SAUER & PETER DELMAS - It’s amazing what a young goalie can do when they actually take a little time to think about what they’re doing. It also helps when the team’s goalie consultant is on the ice to make adjustments. Most skaters are there to battle against one another for a spot on a roster, but for some goalies, it’s more about impressing the coaching staff and absorbing every little piece of information that comes from the goalie coach.
Sauer, a big goalie with great coverage down low in his own right, does not have the best mobility or quickness. In fact I worked up a scouting chart on him back on Wednesday, which was the first day of Rookie Training Camp. It’s not hard to see that Sauer is a good step slower than Weiman, Budaj and Peter Delmas.
But all Thibault had to do was run two drills, make one minor adjustment to Sauer’s footwork and everything totally clicked. This not only turned a pressure-filled training camp experience into a mini semi-private lesson, but it also improved the organization’s depth while at the same time allowing the scouts to do their job. Overall, it was a great display of pure development straight from Thibault’s mind, something every GM wants to see on a daily basis.
(video removed per 72-hour NHL Media policy)
In the first video, Thibault uses four pucks to explain a basic system for tracking the puck around the crease. It splits the ice up into six zones – four behind the net split up from end board to end board and two out front, one on either side of the ice. David Marcoux, the former goalie coach in Calgary, actually taught Kiprusoff and many other pro goalies this exact system (It’s also the one I was taught five years ago). The drill Thibault runs with Sauer is just about setting your feet quick enough so that you can control your body’s movement and therefore the rebound.
What I noticed in this drill (starting at 1:30) is that Sauer covers the lower portion of the net in impressive fashion due to his great size. But his feet aren’t the quickest and because of that, he doesn’t have very good body control. He hunches over and leans forward when he drops into the butterfly, which causes some bad rebounds and takes away from an efficient recovery. His body is not in great alignment and that causes him to lose speed and not generate as much power getting back to his feet. He also doesn’t take up as much space up high because his shoulders are hunched and his back isn’t completely straight. Overall his inefficient footwork leads to some juicy rebounds and you can see Thibault most likely explaining some of these aspects to him at the end of the video.
(video removed per 72-hour NHL Media policy)
This second video totally hits home the importance of a quality goalie coach to the prospects in this system. On Sauer’s first three shots, he’s still leaning forward like before. He flies out towards the shooter because his body’s momentum carries him forward. He was a little sharper going to his right, but his shoulders were still hunched over.
But at 1:05, Thibault does a remarkable job of giving Sauer some great feedback about the path his skates travel. Instead of sliding out towards the shooter to cut down the angle, Sauer is better off setting his feet sooner and cutting off the angle deeper in his crease. This is a luxury a big goalie can afford, as this adjustment will allow him to drop into the butterfly in a faster manner and control the rebound with more ease.
At 1:10, you see Thibault show Sauer exactly how to adjust his movement. To paraphrase, stopping on a dime instead of sliding out past the top of his crease will come from setting his feet sooner. The result will be better body control, better balance and then an ability to recover just a little bit quicker than before.
At 1:50, Delmas steps in and shows Sauer how it’s done. Delmas is flat out a terrific skater. He moves in a more efficient manner when it comes to shots in tight and his feet are very quick and get set sooner than Sauer’s. Even though Delmas doesn’t have the big body (listed 11 pounds lighter than Sauer), he’s much quicker going post to post.
Delmas doesn’t exert nearly as much energy even though he might need to travel a further distance because he’s a smaller goalie, which allows him to get the knees down quickly and have better rebound control. Another positive to Delmas’ game is that he has a very straight back and takes away a large portion of the top of the net. That straight back means a lot, because it allows for better alignment and quicker recovery time.
Then everything clicks when Sauer goes back in the net at 2:40. The first shot to his right, he’s in a little more control of his body. The second one was excellent and the third one was even better. As my comments point out, he was set sooner and was in much better control of his body. The fourth and fifth shot to his left were a little off-balanced but he finishes with a strong one. And did you notice his rebounds were placed in much better areas?
Now this is all pretty straightforward stuff for a goalie to absorb in a few hours, but what happens when Thibault isn’t around to keep providing Sauer with that feedback? This is where goalies must show a lot of mental strength. Sauer has to train his mind to be consistent with what he just learned. He’s a bigger goalie – he doesn’t need to come out as far as a smaller goalie does. So there’s more advantageous things he could be doing with his feet that end up saving time, energy and most importantly, bad rebounds.
In conclusion, this was just a few minutes of basic goalie drills, but as you can see, a good goalie coach can turn it into something beyond valuable. Every moment a prospect gets that type of feedback, the stock of that goalie rises by leaps and bounds. But without the constant feedback, goalies have to work even harder at being mentally tough enough to retain the information and execute correctly on a consistent basis.
Thirty goalie coaches in the league work on hundreds of prospects in an effort to improve the organization’s depth. But as I’m often found saying, goaltending is 90% mental. So no matter how much a goalie learns in a single day, if they don’t apply themselves and stay focused, it’s all for naught. This barely scratches the surface of the goalie consultant’s impact, but as you can see, it’s a vital and invaluable aspect of developing players at that position.
What impact does a goalie coach have on your fantasy team’s goalies? What kind of adjustments to a goalie’s game did you see or hear about over the summer? And most importantly – how consistent is the goalie playing? These are questions you should be asking in order to not only understand the position better, but to give you an edge from a fantasy perspective. Having the answers will make drafting goalies less of a headache and more of an opportunity.
Peter Budaj’s X:60 Setup
Sep 13th
Although Peter Budaj was pretty rusty through the first day of Avalanche Training Camp this morning, he still looked quite sleek in his new Bauer X:60 setup. Good job by BudajFan31 from www.GoaliePost.com for noticing that Budaj’s blocker is actually an XR skinned with X:60 graphics.
It was also the first time we noticed Jocelyn Thibault on the ice working with the Avs goalies. Peter Delmas, Tyler Weiman and Billy Sauer spent the majority of the day with Thibault, which included some informal introductions, plenty of smiles and the discussion of a few simple drills. This is just one of them:
I was beyond impressed with Thibault’s work with the goalies on the ice. He handled introductions promptly, and as you can see, got right down to business by warming up the goalies for the scrimmage. Budaj’s rust was pretty visible from the get-go. I noticed that he played at least a half-step deeper in his crease than usual and he seemed tense and tight in the shoulders. Numerous times in the first hour of drills he was beaten under the elbows or top-shelf. I also caught him doing a lot of this throughout the drills:
There was some visible negative feedback, as he would turn his head and shoulders in frustration while getting back into his butterfly stance after allowing a goal. I’m not sure how he performed during the scrimmage, but many fans I spoke to afterwards agreed that his timing was off. At least with all the time I spent watching Budaj today, I did snag a photo of his mask:
I have no idea who that is on the edge of his mask (the right side), but we can tell you that Ned Flanders is proudly displayed on the backplate once again, but this time in a larger size than ever before. There’s also a motorcycle being blanketed by the checkered flag right above the unknown character.
Stay tuned for tomorrow morning’s SCHOOL OF BLOCK, which will bring you an inside look at some other dynamics Thibault brought to the Avs goaltending regime and how it should really benefit the organization’s depth at that position.
Billy Sauer Scouting Chart
Sep 10th
Here is the completed scouting chart of Billy Sauer from yesterday’s Avalanche Rookie Training Camp. Click to download the PDF and enjoy!
Rookie Training Camp Recap
Sep 9th
Avalanche Rookie Training Camp kicked off this morning with plenty of enthusiasm, energy and excitement between the 26 players and four goalies. Even though Rookie Camp was scheduled to run from 9:00a – 9:50a, about halfway through the 50-minute session, a number of Avalanche veterans started showing up – and we honestly had no idea why. The team’s regular Training Camp doesn’t open until Sunday morning, yet there was Brett Clark, Marek Svatos, Cody McLeod and many others heading into the locker rooms at Family Sports Center.
Sure enough, once Rookie Camp ended for the day, the handful of fans in the stands were treated to one heck of a surprise. It turns out that most of the veterans tossed on their skates and hit the ice for some friendly one-hour scrimmage with the rookies on both sheets! It was an unexpected turn of events, but one that The Avalanche Guild absorbed and embraced with a grin from ear to ear.
Although we were impressed by a number of the young guns on this Avalanche squad, including Derek Peltier, Matt Duchene, Ryan Stoa, Ryan O’Reilly, T.J. Galiardi and more, probably the most impressive aspect of the first day of camp was the overall positive atmosphere created by the players and coaching staff.
Every single player not only seemed focused, but fired up and ready for the season to get underway. All seven goalies were sharp from the get-go and the work ethic seemed to seep onto all four benches on both sheets of ice.
Personally we were most impressed with Chris Stewart, who noticeably looks to be in the best physical shape of his career. Not only did his stride look stronger and more powerful than it did in April, but he was lighter on his skates and more agile on the back-check. Newcomer David Koci was also quite impressive, as his skating ability combined with his size and stature made him seem like a monster amongst men.
Stastny’s shot seemed a little sharper than usual, as we noticed he picked the corner on Craig Anderson and Tyler Weiman a few times. John-Michael Liles looked in great shape as well, as he was jumping up into the offensive plays with ease and in an almost casual manner. Once the scrimmages were over, fans were treated to a practice fight between Stewart and Matt Hendricks, and as you can see by the photo below, it was a great way to get pumped up for the rest of camp.
Simply put, it was an impressive and exciting day to be at Family Sports Center. The attitude, atmosphere and anticipation was nowhere near the level of this time last year. The more time that goes by, the more we feel like this team will be surprising many pundits that ranked this team 13th or 14th in the Western Conference.
*Stay tuned for more updates and photos as Rookie Training Camp continues. Remember that regular training camp starts Sunday morning and is open to the public!
Opening Night Pre-Sale Special!
Sep 5th
We are very fortunate and proud to offer exclusive Opening Night pre-sale tickets for our faithful followers. The Avalanche will be honoring the long-time captain as the franchise raises his #19 to the rafters at Pepsi Center on October 1 before a game against the San Jose Sharks.
Please be in your seats when the ceremonies begin at 6:45 pm. The puck will drop at 8:00 pm. The following links should be used in order to purchase your pre-sale tickets to opening night:
http://www.pepsicenter.com/groups/avalanche/avsguildclub
Club Ends
Club Corners
A limited number of discounted seats are available for the pre-sale, full price seats and additional locations available below. Once the discounted seats are sold out, pre-sale full priced seats are available before the public on-sale date via the links below. Additional discounted seats may be available after the on-sale, but this link will guarantee you seats and cannot be refunded or exchange after the on-sale date of September 12.
http://www.pepsicenter.com/groups/avalanche/avsguildfull
Rinkside (Rows 2-5)
Lower Level Centers
Lower Level Corners
Lower Level Ends
http://www.pepsicenter.com/groups/avalanche/avsguildclubfull
Club Center
Club Sides
Club Corners
Club Ends
Discounted group tickets are meant for only the people, family, and friends associated with the “group”. Use of discounted tickets to resell within the “group” at a higher price than purchased may only be done for non-profit fundraising and the donation portion must be noted. Other resale or attempt to resale of any Colorado Avalanche ticket at a price higher than that printed thereon, including tax, is grounds for seizure or cancellation without refund or other compensation.
Season Preview: Ten Players to Watch
Sep 1st
*We are proud to introduce Zach Nichols to our writing staff. His insight of the Avalanche organization will be a tremendous resource for our readers and followers. Zach is a recent graduate of Mesa State College, a former player on their ACHA hockey team and The Hockey Guild’s official tournament scorekeeper.
September is finally here and that means hockey season is just around the corner. In fact, rookie camp begins on the morning of Sept. 9 at Family Sports Center. That will mark the official start of a new chapter in the Colorado Avalanche history books, as this will be the first season without long-time captain Joe Sakic leading the way.
This year is a pivotal season for the Avalanche organization. They finished 15th in the Western Conference last year and 22 points out of a playoff spot, making it the second time in three seasons they failed to make the playoffs. Before missing the post-season with 95 points in 2006-07, the Avs were playoff bound every single season since moving to Denver. That was until last season’s distastrous campaign of course, one that was plagued by costly long-term injuries to Sakic and Paul Stastny, the Avs’ top two centers.
The Avs’ off-season started with a frenzied fire-sale and a complete overhaul of the entire coaching staff. The moves were highlighted by the firing of former general manager Francois Giguere and the hiring of former assistant GM Greg Sherman. It was a move that initially raised some controversy, mainly due to the fact that Patrick Roy was also rumored to be considered for the job as GM, and possibly the head coaching job as well.
Towards the All-Star break, there were some changes that needed to be made if the Avs were going to make the playoffs. But only one deal was made before the deadline when Jordan Leopold was traded back to Calgary for a draft pick. It came as a surprise that Ian Laperriere was not moved at the deadline - not because the Avs were desperate to get rid of him - but because of the interest other teams had in acquiring his services.
Surely the Avs could have received one or more solid acquistions in exchange for Laperriere. Instead, they ended up losing him to the Flyers during free agency back in July. Amongst many other trade rumors back in July, one involved Ryan Smyth going to San Jose in exchange for Jonathan Cheechoo. For rebuilding purposes, the deal would’ve certainly made sense, but it never actually transpired.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the Avalanche didn’t have much wiggle room to sign free agents. But they did make a trade that could prove to be a good one in future seasons when they dealt Smyth, the high-priced veteran left winger, to Los Angeles in exchange for Tom Preissing, Kyle Quincey and a draft choice. Smyth was the Avalanche’s most consistent player last season and was a fan favorite due to his hard work ethic and grit around the net. Ultimately, however, it came down to salary cap issues, so off he went to LA and in return the Avs received a former Colorado College defenseman (Preissing) and a puck-moving blueliner that developed in the Red Wings’ system (Quincey).
With training camp less than ten days away, the Avs are now ready to enter new territory. Regarded as one of the league’s elite teams for nearly a decade, let’s not forget that they won nine consecutive Division Titles, two Stanley Cups, made four trips to the Conference Finals, accumulated 487 consecutive sellouts and 11 playoff berths in 13 seasons of play here in Colorado.
Now the team’s goal is to just make the playoffs.
Stastny and Wojtek Wolski are set to be the team’s top two centers, but having lost both Laperriere and Cody McCormick to free agency means the Avalanche will need a few more right wingers to step up. They have many young up and coming players at the center, so some of the natural centers in their system may be asked to play on either wing this season. second-year forward T.J. Hensick could possibly be one of those players asked to move.
Recent college graduates Justin Mercier and Brandon Yip are coming off of solid collegiate careers and both will enter their first professional seasons. Yip won an NCAA Championship last season with Boston University (along with recently drafted goalie Kieran Millan) and Mercier led the University of Miami-Ohio team to the championship game against Yip’s Terriers.
Simply put, this team has a lot of work to do before the roster is completed in late-September, so let’s take a look at ten players to watch for the upcoming season!
:: TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH ::
MATT DUCHENE - Duchene, the 3rd overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, is the highest pick the Avalanche have had since moving to Denver. He’s primed to make the team out of training camp, but the big question remains: Will he stay on the roster for the entire season or be sent back to his junior team in the OHL? One can only hope that the Avs keep him on the roster the entire season, as it’s exactly what the fans in Denver want to see. Called “the best all-around player” in the draft by many analysts, Duchene should have no problem sticking in the lineup thanks to his playmaking ability, youthful enthusiasm and tremendous vision and ice awareness. Oddly enough, the Avs have never had an 18-year-old on their regular season roster.
CHRIS STEWART - Most fans will say that Stewart was the most impressive call-up last season, showing early promise of being a star power forward. It’s not a stretch to say that in the next five or six seasons he could be compared to the likes of Joe Thornton and Ryan Getzlaf. Look for Stewie to not only make the team out of training camp, but play his first full season in the NHL. Stewart’s size is noticeable, but watch out for his great speed, which stems from a very powerful first stride. He’s also not afraid to knock knuckles with the league’s toughest, making him an extremely valuable player for a small Avalanche squad.
DAVID JONES - Jones is coming off a season that was plagued with injuries, so look for him to have a breakout year. His play while he has possession of the puck reminds me very much of Peter Forsberg. He’s very hard to defend against and extremely strong on the puck, especially in the corners. He has fairly deceptive speed and plays the body well. The former Ivy League Player of the Year will be looking to rebound from last season’s setback and find a spot on the top two lines.
TJ GALIARDI – After Stewart, Galiardi was the second-most impressive call-up last year, showing incredible raw talent and offensive ability. Galiardi seemed to struggle a little bit making the adjustment to the NHL, making some “rookie mistakes” early in his call-up, but still has no problem making the team out of training camp. His ability to score goals in the prime slot area will be a major benefit considering Marek Svatos failed to find his scoring touch last season.
CRAIG ANDERSON - Don’t be surprised when Anderson starts on October 1st. The Avalanche signed him right away on July 1st from the Florida Panthers, a team that probably didn’t want to lose him. Anderson is one of the most elite US-born goalies in the league and has tremendous positioning and quickness to go alongside his solid size. He only played 27 games last season, but was sensational all season by making 40+ saves in a number of games. He will not only beat out Budaj for the starting role, but carry it throughout the season. His only sticking point would be that he’s never been a starting goaltender before, nor has he played more than 30 games in a single season. But it looks like the Avalanche are quite comfortable giving him the reins and letting him run with them.
TYLER WEIMAN - Weiman has improved every single season since turning pro in 2004 with the CHL’s Colorado Eagles. The Saskatoon native led the Eagles to a championship as a rookie, shattering every single goalie record along the way. Weiman was actually on the Avs’ roster to start the 2007-08 season after Jose Theodore had very minor knee surgery, allowing him to make his NHL debut by stopping all 10 shots he faced in 16 minutes of play against the Predators. Although Weiman fans have been frustrated by the lack of opportunity with the Avs, everyone is excited that he agreed to a qualifying offer. He quietly led the AHL in shutouts last season with Lake Erie, proving he not only belongs in the NHL, but can win games when given the chance.
RYAN STOA - Stoa, a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota will also look to make an impact this year, projected by many scouts to not only play for the Avs this upcoming season, but score 20 goals as well. Stoa was drafted four years ago in 2005 andhas spent the past four seasons with the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers.
KELSEY TESSIER - Tessier was the player that impressed me the most at this year’s development camp. He will in all likelihood be sent back to his junior team during camp, but the 4th round pick in 2008 easily could have gone in the 2ndor 3rd round if he had more size. Tessieris generously listed as 5’9″ but makes up for size with quickness and shoots the puck very hard for a guy his size.
MATT HENDRICKS - Hendricks appeared in several games with the big club towards the endof last season. Hendricks will play a bigger role with Joe Sacco’s team because Hendricks understands Sacco’s system. Although Sacco hasn’t publicly discussed this yet, he will no doubt need hard-working 3rd and 4th line players like Hendricks to finish their checks, generate scoring chances and consequently make the Avs a more difficult team to play against.
CHRIS DURNO - Durno is a player that fell under the radar last season. The 6-foot-4 forward has put up solid numbers in the AHL and made his NHL debut last season in two games for the Avs. Not familiar with Durno? Picture Rob Blake, but a forward. He played four years at Michigan Tech and has been playing in the minor leagues since the 2003-04 season.
