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Avalanche Weekly 12-6-2010
Dec 10th
Colorado Defense Fails To Contain Panthers’ Best
Dec 7th
The Colorado Avalanche lost their fourth game in a row tonight, this time to the lowly Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime.
Goaltending Battle Decides Avs Game Against Hurricanes
Dec 3rd
In a game that would only be decided by one goal, the real story of the night was that of the wayward goaltender.
Chris Stewart Out, Winnik May Return Tomorrow
Nov 29th
Colorado Avalanche forward Chris Stewart won’t be back in the lineup tomorrow night to face his brother Anthony when the Atlanta Thrashers come to town.
Avalanche Recall Jason Bacashihua
Nov 25th
The Colorado Avalanche have recalled goaltender Jason Bacashihua from the Lake Erie Monsters, according to the Monsters themselves.
How the Canucks Got Their Groove Back
Nov 25th
The Colorado Avalanche came out the loser in a Northwest Division battle against the Vancouver Canucks, ending a four game win streak for Colorado and tying both teams for the division lead.
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Duchene, Anderson Lead Avs to Victory
Nov 20th
The visiting New York Rangers were squashed last night by a spot on Colorado Avalanche team, 5-1 in a one sided tilt.
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John Grahame Reassigned
Nov 18th
The Colorado Avalanche quietly reassigned backup goaltender John Grahame to the Lake Erie Monsters today.
Craig Anderson Back At Practice
Nov 15th
According to the Denver Post, Craig Anderson was in full gear at this morning’s Colorado Avalanche practice.
Chris Stewart Scores 100th NHL Point in Loss to Flames
Nov 10th
On October 28 we saw a crazy, high scoring game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames. The 6-5 Avalanche win was the most exciting win the Burgundy and Blue have had so far this season. Calgary would have a chip on their shoulders tonight as they haven’t won a game since their last meeting with Colorado.
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Avalanche Recall Kevin Shattenkirk
Nov 3rd
With a lingering concussion keeping Colorado Avalanche captain Adam Foote out of the lineup for longer than anticipated and the newly announced concussion of Kyle Cumiskey, the Avs have found themselves light on defense entering Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Cumiskey Concussed; Anderson Skating
Nov 2nd
The injury bug is affecting the Colorado Avalanche early this season, with defenseman Kyle Cumiskey being the next to miss time.
Budaj’s Win Proves Patience is a Weapon
Oct 13th
A lot of goaltending advice will seem like common sports cliches, but only because it carries everlasting value.
“Let the play, and the game, come to you. Don’t try to chase the puck. Just be patient.”
Those are just a few quips coaches will preach to their players in almost every pro sport, but only because it goes a long way in determining a winner and a loser.
Avalanche goaltender Peter Budaj’s first start of the regular season on Tuesday night was a perfect lesson in these goaltending virtues. Budaj, who was 3-3-1 lifetime against the Red Wings with a .917 save percentage heading into the prime time game on Versus, had a rough history of issues with his confidence and rebound control throughout his career. He would give up bad goals at the wrong time and then tighten up as a result. As games continued, he often looked impatient, scrambly and out of control. And that usually led to many tough one-goal losses where he simply didn’t make the timely save.
But last night’s 5-4 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings was the complete opposite of everything Budaj used to be. He was poised, confident and focused from the moment the puck dropped until the very last shootout stop on Henrik Zetterberg. Even though he allowed four goals on 28 shots, he was one of the true stars of the game. More importantly, he was there when his teammates needed him the most.
As a goalie scout, I can tell you that facing very few shots in the first period makes it extremely tough for a goalie to play at their best. It’s extremely hard to get into a rhythm and nervous energy builds up while the focus can also stray. Every goalie at every level will also tell you that seeing a couple of routine shots early is very beneficial to feeling comfortable and playing well in a big game.
To start the 103rd all-time meeting against the Red Wings, Budaj faced an early shot and made a great save through traffic. Even though he gave up a juicy rebound, he confidently recovered and pushed to the top of his crease to square up for a potential rebound. Just a few moments later, however, Johan Franzen picked up a loose puck off the half-boards and fired a low wrist shot that beat Budaj just inside the far-side post. It was pretty much the worst start Budaj could have hoped for, as the Red Wings took a 1-0 lead just 2:24 into the game.
But despite allowing the early goal, Budaj’s demeanor never changed. He didn’t tense up. He didn’t cower into a shell and his mechanics never changed. The result of this consistency in his technique and in his mind resulted in a huge stop on Niklas Kronwall, who was all alone in the slot and had a prime scoring opportunity, just a minute later. And it wasn’t the save that impressed me, but rather where he made it. He was well above his crease and eliminated Kronwall’s time and space in a confident manner.
The first period ended with the score tied at 1-1 thanks to a David Jones wrist shot at 16:56. Detroit only had four shots on goal and Colorado had nine, so Avalanche fans were already on Budaj’s back and lacking confidence in his ability to stop pucks in a close game. But on the flip side, I was rather impressed with his steadfast demeanor and consistent confidence. I wasn’t worried about him in this game.
The second period got underway with an early power play chance for Detroit and resulted in a beautiful pass by Zetterberg off the half-boards, which was re-directed by Pavel Datsyuk just inside the right post. Budaj reacted well, but simply couldn’t get his right toe on the puck. Very few goalies would have made that save, as Detroit’s top guns proved what makes them so special – superfluous and sensational communication. The goal came just 2:50 into the second period and gave Detroit a 2-1 lead.
Although Colorado continued to carry the play in all three zones by jumping on top of Detroit’s defense, forcing turnovers and using their speed to their advantage, Franzen would extend the lead to 3-1 with a nice snap shot at the 13:02 mark of the second period. Defensively, it was a huge letdown, as Colorado limited Detroit to just four shots halfway through the middle frame. But the Avalanche’s “never say die” attitude helped them overcome a two-goal deficit the night before in Philadelphia, so the confidence on the bench was clearly there to do it again.
That comeback was initiated thanks to a beautiful play from Ryan O’Reilly. With his combination of speed and awareness, he took advantage of a Detroit turnover and flew down the left wing thanks to a powerful first stride. As soon as he hit the neutral zone, his head was up the entire way into Detroit’s zone until he cranked a slap shot that slightly tipped former Avalanche defenseman Ruslan Salei’s stick blade. The shot fooled Jimmy Howard just enough to power through his left arm, bringing the score to 3-2 with only :49 seconds remaining in the second period.
The shots in that middle frame were 14 for Colorado and only nine for Detroit, making the total a surprising 23-13 edge for the Avs. Budaj, who could really only be faulted for Franzen’s goals, had allowed three goals on 13 shots. No, it was not much of a ringing endorsement for Sacco’s decision to start Budaj against a potent Red Wings team. Yet Colorado found themselves only down a goal heading into the third period.
For a goaltender, it’s not how saves you make, it’s just a matter of being one better than the goalie on the other end. I was frustrated with the quality chances Detroit had with such few shots, so I knew the third period would come down to Budaj’s ability to make the timely save.
The final frame started off with a bang for the Avalanche. They got the puck in deep and forced Dan Cleary to take an interference penalty just 1:43 into the period. Although they failed, once again, to take advantage of the man advantage, they carried the play and kept Detroit on their heels. That’s when Daniel Winnik would chip a puck past Kronwall and then fire a simple shot over Howard’s left shoulder to tie the game 3-3 at the 4:43 mark. It was his first in an Avalanche uniform and a goal that totally stunned and silenced the crowd at Joe Louis Arena.
But Detroit was opportunistic when John-Michael Liles coughed up the puck during another Avalanche power-play chance. Darren Helm, who is easily one of the fastest players in the NHL, cruised down the left wing on a 2-on-1 short-handed breakaway. He held on to the puck until the last moment, forced Kyle Quincey to slide over, then made a perfect saucer pass to Patrick Eaves, who elevated the puck and put it over Budaj’s glove. No chance for Budaj, no excuse for Liles’ costly turnover. The Red Wings were up 4-3 with just over 13 minutes remaining and the momentum was quickly back in Detroit’s corner.
Once again, Colorado’s resiliency allowed them to fire back, as a beautiful backhander by Jones slipped under Howard, who was deep in his net and clearly not prepared for the shot. It once again shocked the Red Wings, eliminated the crowd’s presence and rejuvenated the Avs bench, just enough for the game to end in a 4-4 tie. Despite it being just the third game of the regular season, it was an instant classic thanks to the quality goals, amazing plays and even a fight between Cody McLeod and Doug Janik.
Surprisingly, very few chances surfaced during the overtime period and the game went to a shootout. Below is a recap of the six shootout chances against Budaj. As you will see, each one preaches the importance of patient goaltending:
1. PAVEL DATSYUK - The shiftiest hands in the league couldn’t pull Peter out of position, as Budaj stayed anchored in his crease and got the right pad down in time to stone Datsyuk’s quality opportunity.
2. JIRI HUDLER - The underrated scorer walked in on and tried to go high, but Budaj was patient and forced Hudler to shoot high and over the net. It may have slightly grazed the post.
3. TODD BERTUZZI - Colorado’s arch nemesis swung really wide to the left side and tried to force Budaj to come off his angle. But Budaj would have none of it, as again he displayed great patience, tracked the puck perfectly and made a beautiful left toe save as Bertuzzi cut across the crease.
4. JOHAN FRANZEN - Mentally, Franzen had a clear advantage after beating Budaj twice in regulation. But again, Budaj forced a perfect shot and Franzen nailed the crossbar. It was a bit of luck for Peter, but that’s what it takes to beat one of the best teams in the league.
5. MIKE MODANO - This one was another lucky break for Budaj, as Modano cruised in and fired a wrist shot high over Budaj’s glove and off the crossbar. The puck came back into Budaj’s body but he alertly squeezed the legs shut before the puck could escape.
6. HENRIK ZETTERBERG - A move that would have beat most inexperienced goalies, Hank opened up the five-hole, but Budaj went paddle down and did an amazing job of covering the space with his stick, shutting the door on Zetterberg.
Thanks to a Brandon Yip wrist shot over Howard’s glove, Colorado once again came back from a two-goal deficit and skated away with two points and a 5-4 overtime win. On opening night they squandered a two-goal lead and still won in overtime. Last night, they came back from one and won in overtime. It’s not a pattern this team will want to continue, but at the end of the day, points are all that matters. And in years past, Budaj would have been paralyzed after allowing a goal in the shootout and then he would execute with much hesitation.
But not last night. Not at any point. Not after any of the gut-wrenching goals against him. He was even-keeled the entire 65 minutes and on each of the six shootout chances against him.
When a goaltender gets to years five and six in their NHL career, they begin to truly understand the mental approach needed to succeed as a starter or a backup. Away from the rink, I know that Budaj really matured over the summer. He bought a house and started a family and it’s not “…all hockey, all the time…” for him anymore. He’s balanced in life, and I feel that has turned him into a much better goalie on the ice. Throughout training camp and his limited pre-season action, I noticed better perspective, more mental toughness, confidence, and most importantly, more patience than ever before.
It was very exciting to see Budaj not only get the start, but despite giving up four goals on just 28 shots, make the timely stops when his team needed it most. I don’t remember every single win he has notched in an Avalanche uniform, but because of the lessons learned, I consider it one of his best wins in his career. It proved he’s capable of winning games behind Craig Anderson. It proved he has matured and evolved into a mentally tough netminder capable of overcoming any hurdles set in his path. He’s a consummate pro and he deserves more starts.
Coming away with the win in Detroit does so much more than give the Avalanche two points in the standings. It increases their momentum heading into the final three games of this crucial five-game road trip. More importantly, it forces Craig Anderson to play even better in the next game. Healthy competition between two goalies is one of the most important things for the Avalanche to have.
That’s not because I think Anderson is going to play worse than he did last year. It’s simply because he will now be motivated to work even harder than before. If you thought Anderson was good in the first two games of the season, imagine how good he will be in the next game knowing that Budaj already has one start and one gigantic win under his belt.
Avs Training Camp Review: Goaltending
Sep 19th
At today’s final Colorado Avalanche Training Camp session, none of the usual Sunday morning sentiments of peace, compassion and good will towards our fellow man were shared on the ice. Not a drop of civility was found, for we were all amongst wolves.
Without warning, this year’s training camp ignited a fire that set the entire group of veterans and prospects aflame. No time off for good behavior, no holding back. Just 56 players fighting for exposure like a pack of bloodthirsty, savage beasts.
And it was quite an awesome spectacle to watch.
Two sets of three scrimmages in consecutive days goes a long way in elevating the pace, flow and speed at which everyone performs. And while most other teams in the league eased their way into the pace of a pre-season game, the Avalanche players’ intensity escalated to the point where they are two steps ahead of the pack.
In the race to October, the Avs are already set up in the starting block. But everyone else is still tying their shoes.
The schedule over the last week has been hectic. A rookie camp from Tuesday to Thursday. Physicals and tests on Friday. Scrimmages on Saturday and Sunday. A fan-friendly Burgundy-White game in Broomfield on Monday. The first team flight and pre-season game in St. Louis on Tuesday, then right back here to Denver for a game against the Kings on Wednesday.
In order to truly understand what kind of impact the “two-day camp dynamic” has on this year’s Avalanche team, Tuesday’s pre-season opener against the Blues and Wednesday night’s game against the Kings will provide the answers. For how they skate and execute compared to the Blues and the Kings will go a long way in determining if the pros outweigh the cons.
To give you an example of the difference in camp structures, the Blues held two practices on Saturday, then one big scrimmage sandwiched in between two more practices today. Instead of a more glorified scrimmage game tomorrow, they will hold two more practices. And then again on Tuesday morning. Guess which team might have the better wheels on Tuesday night?
Because the two-day dynamic was at the forefront of my analysis over the last five days, I’ll review today’s camp with this in mind and drop some of my scouting notes by position. Guess which one comes first? Yep. I’ll post reviews on the forwards and defensemen on Monday, just in case any cuts are made. Enjoy!
GOALTENDING
The two-day dynamic has a bigger influence on the goalies than any other position. Timing and confidence is everything, so to be lacking in either of those areas will certainly lend a hand to struggling. Even more important, however, is the negative effect of almost no one-on-one time with the goalie coach.
Fortunately, it happened last season with Jocelyn Thibault. For two days, he ran drills with Billy Sauer, Peter Delmas, Tyler Weiman, Trevor Cann and Peter Budaj. The comments below were the opening paragraph of my goaltending recap of last year’s training camp:
“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.”
This year, however, I did not see Kirk McLean do any legitimate goaltending drills with the prospects, neither during Rookie Camp or at any point this weekend. This lack of goalie-specific training over the last five days seriously affects two goalie prospects that have tremendous long-term value. Can you guess who I’m speaking of? You got it – Brandon Maxwell and Calvin Pickard.
Simply put, both goalies struggled in training camp, but not because they lack skill or confidence. It was simply due to the extreme jump that comes from facing shots at the major-junior level (Pickard plays in the WHL, Maxwell in the OHL), taking the summer off, then facing shots at the NHL level. That alone is an extremely tough task. But having to do it without the valuable advice that comes from an NHL goalie coach is nearly impossible.
You will hear and read a lot of things about the performances of Maxwell, Pickard and Cann. Very few, if any, will be positive. But trust me – even without goalie-specific drills with McLean - they all did plenty of things that impressed the coaching and scouting staff.
CALVIN PICKARD- Pickard impressed me because of his durability, steadiness and overall net presence. He is definitely poised to be the better than his brother, Chet, who is battling for a spot behind Pekka Rinne in Nashville. He’s definitely plays the calm butterfly style and does an excellent job of sealing holes and letting the puck hit him. He works very hard to see the puck around bodies and create his own flawless lines of sight. That work ethic is one of his best assets. He played 62 games last season with the Seattle Thunderbirds, so he can handle a heavy workload and he can execute with high levels of energy regardless of how many shots he faces.
Was he scrambly at times? Absolutely. Did he give up bad rebounds? Sure did. But did any of that come from a lack of talent? not even close. It comes from the jump in pace and speed that comes from NHL shooters. And even though the competition caused his confidence to wane over the weekend, that work ethic and positive attitude never dropped at all. He made big saves on breakaways on a number of occasions in this year’s camp and he displayed to me exactly what makes him such a tremendous prospect. One or two more years in Seattle, maybe a little more weight and refinement and he will be primed and ready to begin his pro career in the AHL.
If you look at the two photos included here, you’ll notice some of what I mean. In the first one above, he’s frozen solid on a shot that beats him low glove side. The inability to track the puck with his eyes causes him to tense up and brace for a shot. And that means he’s not executing correctly. In the shot below, he reacts to a Kyle Quincey blast by standing up and trying to re-direct the puck with his blocker and stick. Instead of butterflying and getting a pad behind the shot, he stands up and whiffs completely. The result? A puck in the back of the net.
These shots only represent a small sample of goals that resulted from a lack of timing and experience. At his age, one can’t expect him to have the ability or wherewithal to execute at this level. But in most instances, including the photo below, he displayed outstanding net coverage and showed why he plays bigger than his size would predict.
BRANDON MAXWELL - Maxwell impressed me this weekend because of his refined technique and style. He has faster footwork and a tighter stance. Last season, I considered him a “calm butterfly” goalie that relied more on solid positioning than reactions. He was what you would call a passive goalie, one that waits for the puck to hit him instead of flashing feet and hands in order to take away space.
This season, he had a much better balance of both. And that balance is what every goalie needs to be truly successful in the NHL. His stance and execution in this year’s camp was much more active and his faster feet allowed him to be better positioned to make those second and third saves. Overall, I could clearly see vast improvements in most areas of his game. This is a luxury that comes with playing in the CHL. He played close to 50 games and faced a ton of shots against the best players in his age range.
The areas in which he struggled during camp included shots up high – namely glove side - and deflections. These just so happen to be the two areas that are exposed the most when timing and confidence is not where it needs to be. Therefore, I took nothing negative away from most of the goals he allowed in the warm-ups and scrimmages. But breaking down his performance from a technique and skill standpoint (a la our patented scouting charts), the grades and ratings went up in almost every category.
TREVOR CANN -Cann impressed me because of his adjusted mechanics and improved skating. Just like for any hockey player, skating ability is the most important skill to have. If you can’t skate, you can’t stop the puck in an efficient manner. Last season, Cann was the slowest goalie on the team. His entire stride mechanics were not anywhere close to where they needed to be. But over the season, possibly the summer, something changed.
He’s faster. He’s better balanced. He’s much more mobile. He’s more confident. I could go on and on. He was the most improved goalie in the system and has gone from being in my doghouse to being a potential #4 goalie in the system. Of course John Grahame will cover that role for now behind Jason Bacashihua, but next year, Cann will be ready for a full season in the AHL. And more AHL games this season could prove he’s ready now. It’s possible, but I wasn’t that impressed. He still has a lot of work to do before he’s considered anything more than a future AHL’er.
PETER BUDAJ - To explain my thoughts on Budaj’s performance in camp, I have one word for you – confident. Last season, he had a real defeated attitude and constantly buried his head into the ice. He was intimidated by Craig Anderson’s presence and he struggled with his rebound control. This season, however, Budaj clearly knows his role and has embraced what he means to this team. The fact he was re-signed after playing so little last year says a lot for his influence in the locker room and on the bench.
Because of his happy-go-lucky attitude, Budaj clearly fills the backup role on this team to perfection. He’s the best kind of partner a goalie like Anderson could hope for. And with that comes plenty of comfort for Budaj. Because of this, he played a much more relaxed and composed butterfly style than what was seem in last year’s camp.
Another visible difference in Budaj’s game is that his pads (due to new sizing regulations) are probably a 1/4-inch to a 1/2-inch shorter than last year’s. This is not a negative thing, for a goalie that wears slightly shorter pads will not only benefit from an increase in mobility, but they will feel a little lighter and execute just a little bit easier as well. Above you see a shot of Budaj’s thigh rises and how there’s a tiny bit of space, but combined with his confidence, his technique in areas like rebound control, butterfly slides and overall movement in the scrimmages was visibly better than last season.
JASON BACASHIHUA - Cold Hard Cash is back and better than ever. But we’ll have a more in-depth article on him, including an interview with his goalie coach over the summer and some videos, next week. Briefly, he’s more calm, patient and mobile than last season and a lot of that comes from his improved footwork. He also has one of the most underrated gloves in the AHL.
—–[ THE AVALANCHE GUILD ]—–
Ultimately, I was very impressed by the improvement of the three youngest goalies in camp and the performance of the top four goalies in camp. Grahame struggled the most of the NHL and AHL goalies, but I don’t think it’s worth explaining the reasons why. He’s simply here to provide stability behind Bacashihua. It’s fun to see him try and stop the puck using the traditional butterfly style that dominated the game in the late-90′s, but other than that, he’s not a very capable goalie.
Unfortunately, the overall development of Avalanche goaltending as a whole was somewhat impacted by a lack of goalie-specific training on the ice with McLean. He was on the bench for a few scrimmages and then on the drills side of the ice today, but I didn’t see anything more than some conversation with the goalies at different points over the weekend. I only have one set of eyes, so if you saw something I didn’t, please leave a comment below.
A goalie coach is extremely crucial to a prospect’s success in a pro training camp. Without the micro-analysis, the verbal feedback and the positive reinforcement from McLean on the ice over the last five days, Pickard and Maxwell clearly struggled to keep up. But again, it was not a reflection of a lack of skill or long-term upside. The Avalanche failed to take advantage of a great opportunity to really enhance Pickard’s first camp experience and Maxwell’s second. And for myself, that was a little disappointing.
Get to Know Andy’s Mask Artist
Sep 18th
Earlier this week, The Goalie Guild was fortunate enough to catch the first glimpse of Craig Anderson’s new Dillon mask for the 2010-11 season. We were so impressed with the mask’s combination of class and Corvette racing culture that we just had to learn more about the design and the artist.
So allow us to introduce you to Mr. John Pepe, the founder of Pepe’s Custom Paint. John has been painting masks for many years now, but like most hard-working mask artists, life is prone to taking sudden twists and turns, and tough decisions have to be made. So John took a “sabbatical” of sorts from painting, but has slowly worked his way back into the trade.
But one part of his mask painting endeavors that has always stayed the same is his friendship with Anderson.
We actually “met” Pepe way back in March, when we featured his terrific Egyptian-themed mask for Guild member Bruno Roti. We were very impressed with the quality of work back then, so now, six months later, we are proud to offer our Guild readers and Avalanche fans a closer look at Pepe’s background and his experience painting Anderson’s new mask!
TGG: How did you get involved in the airbrushing business and who are some of the goalie mask artists that have inspired you over the years?
JP: I got my start while working for an equipment manufacturer back in Montreal. They were looking for someone to paint masks and although my airbrush experience was extremely limited, I jumped at the opportunity. I was lucky enough to meet Frank Cipra who was a huge help to me when I was starting out. He shared his painting technique, saving me a lot of trial and error by showing me the correct way to do paint a mask. His work still amazes me.
TGG: How did you connect with Craig Anderson, and how long have you been painting his goalie masks?
JP: I was introduced to Craig through Bob Dillon, who has been custom making Craig’s masks for quite some time. I have been painting Andy’s masks for about 10 years give or take. The first one was while he was playing in Norfolk I believe.
TGG: What was the inspiration behind his new mask design? What were some of your thoughts while actually airbrushing the design?
JP: I had not been happy with the paint jobs I had done for him in the past few years. It was always a tight deadline, a creative block or a combination of the two. Whatever it was, things never turned out the way I wanted them to. This time around, I didn’t really have a deadline and I had a lot of ideas flowing for what I wanted to do. I thought it would be fun to have the snowman and car look a lot more like the work of Big Daddy Roth, since that had been the influence of the design in the first place. So, I took some time and designed a snowman in the Rat Fink style but had it shaped to fit around the vents in the mask. I really wanted there to be a complete face on the mask without a big hole in the eye or nose. Then came the ‘Vette. I wanted to make it as large as possible since the space is limited and it needed to be recognizable as a Corvette at a glance – even with the skis and the monster truck tires. Instead of the usual little logo on the chin, I decided to have the opposite side be all Avalanche. I put as large of a logo as I could without cutting it off. The lower half is loosely based on the third jersey, along with some elements pulled out of the logo itself. Overall it took about a week and a half working on it on and off. It was the most fun I had painting a mask in quite some time. No pressure at all.
TGG: Some goalies are very open about their design, but others are very particular. What kind of “client” is Anderson?
JP: Craig is very easy to work with. He lets me run with it for the most part. All he wanted was for the Corvette to be on it somewhere and to have “Jake” (the Corvette Racing logo) on the backplate. We’ve been going with the race car theme for a while, and at one time it was a Mustang. I am not sure when or why we started with it, but it has stuck.
TGG: Who are some of your other pro goaltender clients?
JP: My past clients have included Sean Burke, Scott Clemmensen, J.S. Aubin, Curtis Sanford, Reinhard Divis, Rastislav Stana, Sebastien Caron, Ryan Bach, Chris Mason, Peter Skudra, Thomas Greiss, Kevin Weekes and many others in pro leagues around the world.
A special thanks to John Pepe for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. We are excited to watch Anderson stop thousands of pucks wearing his beautiful new Dillon mask! The Goalie Guild is a proud supporter of Pepe Custom Paint and you can find his contact info in our Mask Artist Directory.
What McLean Means for Avs Goalies
Sep 5th
On Friday, Sept. 3, the Colorado Avalanche announced that Kirk McLean was hired as the new goaltending consultant for the upcoming season. He will replace former Blackhawks and Sabres goaltender Jocelyn Thibault, who held the same position for just one season.
McLean, who had a tremendous NHL career, most notably with the Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils, retired back in 2001. Less than two years later, he was hired as the goalie coach for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, a position he held for one season (2002-03).
McLean is currently an active member of the Canucks Alumni and co-owns a new restaurant called McLean’s, which opened on June 24 in the Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver. Along with some of his other ventures, McLean is a part-owner of the Burnaby Express Junior-A team in the BCHL. He’s an active guy in the Vancouver hockey community and actively partakes in his other passions of golfing and thoroughbred horse racing.
Although nobody outside of the coaching staff knows exactly what kind of time commitments McLean will put into his new consulting job, it has been published (by Terry Frei of the Denver Post) that he will be with the team only periodically.
To me, the word “periodically” begs the question of what kind of impact this will truly have on Craig Anderson, Peter Budaj, Jason Bacashihua, John Grahame, Billy Sauer and Trevor Cann. It will certainly be better than not having a goalie coach at all, but it won’t be as effective of a setup as most other NHL teams.
Last year, Thibault was also a part-time goalie consultant. As such, his influence on the goaltending was tough to decipher. I do know first-hand that he did an awesome job of getting to know Anderson, Budaj, Tyler Weiman and Peter Delmas in a short amount of time. As a result, all of the goalies were ready for their respective seasons. During the regular season, he wasn’t at too many practices, but I did see him in the press box at a number of home games.
Overall, by looking at Thibault’s positive impact on the goalies last season, nothing bad can be said about his work. For a part-time gig, Thibault probably crushed his goals and expectations for the goalies last season. I also have to say that his recent activity in the NHL (with the Sabres) really helped him effectively hone and coach Anderson and Budaj.
I expect McLean to have a similar influence on the goalies this season, but in different areas. He’s an old-school, stand-up goalie that probably brings that similar old-school approach to how he coaches goalies. It’s a striking contrast to Thibault, who is younger and has recent pro experience compared to McLean.
We’ll see McLean out on the ice during the week of training camp working with the goalies and maybe in the box during a few home pre-season games. Away from Denver, McLean will do a considerable amount of tracking and keeping up with the progress of Avalanche goalies. But to effectively consult, McLean must scout to the best of his ability. That means getting to know the mannerisms and emotional state of each goalie in the system, as well as the prospects.
On the other side of things, it’s quite frustrating to see every most NHL teams putting considerable energy into their goalie consulting and coaching positions. It’s the most important position on the ice, so teams like Dallas, Nashville, Chicago, Montreal, San Jose, Atlanta and Toronto ensure there’s a goalie coach/consultant working on a daily basis to hone the goaltending and aid the coaching staff on scouting and skill analysis.
I personally can’t remember a time when Colorado ever had a full-time, year-round goalie coach. Yet they never really needed one during the Patrick Roy era. But now that the team has to rely on developing goalies from within, I really wonder why a full-time goalie coach/consultant has not been hired for this season and beyond. It is one of the true keys to successful goalie development and a “must” for all NHL teams these days.
I also feel that a lack of a prospect development camp really hurt the organization’s goaltending depth this summer. The Avalanche did an amazing job of drafting two top-ranked goalies in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio, but without a prospect camp and a goalie coach to work with them for a week during the summer, it held back their development just a little bit. It was a squandered and lost opportunity.
So too does the lack of a full-time goalie coach/consultant slow down a goalie’s development. Not only in the skills department, but in the more important aspects of mental and emotional development. Goalies of all ages and levels benefit from a full-time goalie coach. They are confidants, mentors and more importantly, close friends and comrades. If things go wrong in a game, the next day of practice is crucial for that goalie to fix those issues through drills and verbal feedback. Without a coach at their side, focus can be lost and things may get progressively worse over time.
Of course McLean is only a phone call or e-mail away from having a similar positive influence throughout the season, but it’s clearly not the same as being on the ice and speaking to an Avs goalie face to face, eye to eye.
Ultimately, I still really like the decision to hire McLean as a part-time consultant. He’s a guy who understands the game at the highest levels, has a passion for coaching goalies and has at least a year’s worth of experience as a goalie coach. He is highly regarded and respected by pro goalies everywhere. He was an admirable goalie on the ice and an influential presence in the locker room. It’s a great addition to Colorado’s coaching staff – so great that I want him to be around every day of the season.
I don’t want to take away from the positive influence this move has on the team for this season, but I really think the time has come for the Avalanche to bring in someone that can commit to developing the numerous goalie prospects on a full-time basis. Colorado truly needs it – they have more prospects than any other team in the NHL (11 total). Without a full-time goalie mentor, there’s less structure and direction to the team’s goalie development compared to all other teams in the league.
It’s simple arithmetic, really. The more goalies you have in the system, the more time should be spent tracking, scouting and developing those goalies. I can’t help but bring up Weiman’s history within the organization and the sense that most analysts and fans clearly recognized he deserved an opportunity to play some games with the big club. But that opportunity never came, and now he’s a member of Colorado’s divisional rivals. Ironically, that would be McLean’s former team, the Vancouver Canucks.
I’m really excited to see what McLean does on the ice during training camp. Last year I thought Thibault did an awesome job getting along with the Avs goalies as a friend and someone they could really rely on as guy with recent experience playing in the NHL.
McLean may not have that same level of youthful influence, but his experiences and wisdom is still a really positive thing for Avalanche goalies. I think McLean will help less on the technical side of things, but much more on the mental aspects of the position. And everyone knows that, at the pro levels, goaltending is 90% mental.
In conclusion, having Thibault influence the goalies last year and combining that with McLean’s influence the goalies this year will be a great one-two punch that will truly boost the mental preparation and technical efficiency of all Avalanche goalies. I just wish it was happening every day of the season.
Mile High Dreams Gala Recap
Mar 21st
Thanks to an amazing birthday gift from my lovely girlfriend, I was able to attend the annual Mile High Dreams Gala that Kroenke Sports puts on every year to support their charity. It’s a chance to rub elbows with all the teams that play at Pepsi Center.
There was a lot of free food and drink, video games, casino games, and a silent auction all on the arena floor. Here are a few observations I made as I toured the party:
- As I played blackjack with Carmelo Anthony, I quickly learned that I am no good at blackjack.
- As I played Wii basketball with Matt Duchene (hey, how did he get in? The invite said 21+…), I learned that he’s either a gracious host and let me win, or I am much better at it than he is.
- Craig Anderson is a lot taller than I expected.
- Peter Mueller is a whiz at craps. I played for 30 minutes and I still have no idea what the rules are.
- Brett Clark was the nicest guy I spoke with all night. Instead of just listening to my questions and congratulations on a good season, he asked me about myself and how I was doing. It was a pleasant surprise.
- Matt of The Burgundy Blog was there, and though we only briefly spoke, it was great to talk to him. Definitely give him a follow on Twitter.
The event was a blast and I’m definitely going to try and make it again next year. The Avalanche website has a photo gallery and video of the event, so head over there for more.
Did you attend? Tell us all about your night in the comments.
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.
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.
:: CLICK HERE FOR THE BOX SCORE ::
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!
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.
