It’s hard to predict where this season is going to go in terms of roster build. Often times, the storylines in August or September have no bearing on the roster by January, let alone after the trade deadline and into the postseason. But that doesn’t take away from the competitive nature of some of the talent in the pipeline.

The Avs have struggled with developing homegrown talent and prospects in recent years. This is well documented. They’ve not had much luck with guys on entry-level contracts making an impact since Alex Newhook and Bowen Byram.

But they’re hoping that could change this year.

Here are four inexperienced skaters that could make a difference at camp, and earn a permanent role in the lineup.

Zakhar Bardakov

This is the most obvious choice. Not necessarily because he’s already the best of the bunch; he might be. But because general manager Chris MacFarland went out of his way twice in June to mention Bardakov as a possible opening night player without even being asked.

Bardakov is a center, which the Avs need. He’s also 24 years old and has years of experience playing against top talent in the KHL. So he’s not necessarily a true pro hockey rookie.

At his age, and coming from the KHL, he’s likely not interested in being a full-time AHL player. He’ll have to earn his roster spot and after that, trust with Jared Bednar to get the ice time he wants. But that starts with a strong first impression at training camp.

If Bardakov cracks the opening night roster, he’d likely play with Joel Kiviranta and Parker Kelly. That’s not a bad pair of hard-working players to learn from. It could help him develop his game and trust with the coach.

Nikita Prishchepov

This might be the most intriguing one, at least to me. I’d argue that, of all the AHL regulars who are probably going to get called up at some point this season, Prishchepov is the most talented. He’s got the most finesse, skill, and probably even potential to be a legitimate middle six point producer in the NHL.

But we’ve seen this story before. The Avs have had talented prospects come through the pipeline that haven’t developed into NHL regulars. Guys like Sampo Ranta, Shane Bowers, and Martin Kaut come to mind.

Could Prishchepov be different? I know the production wasn’t there, but he was up there with Ivan Ivan as one of the more impressive AHL depth options last season. He’s also been skating at Family Sports for weeks and working hard to really ensure he can make an impression at training camp.

Gavin Brindley

This is a player we probably should be talking about more. Brindley wasn’t just a throw-in from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood deal. He’s a 21-year-old prospect that the Avs had high on their draft list in 2023 when they selected Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev late in the first round.

Brindley ended up getting selected No. 34 overall — just seven spots after Ritchie and three behind Gulyayev.

Listed at just 5’8, 173 lbs, Brindley is going to have his work cut out for him. At that size, he’ll need to be strong on the forecheck and play a fearless brand of hockey to stick out, especially with Bednar.

He’s probably the only guy I’d put up there with Prishchepov in terms of raw talent.

Ivan Ivan

I mentioned him earlier, but if anyone was closest to achieving this goal in 2024-25, it was him. Ivan dressed in 40 games for the Avalanche in a depth role. He had flashes of offensive production early in the season, but that went away as the season progressed.

But just having that experience will work in Ivan’s favor. He did enough last year to earn Bednar’s trust, and he likely has the most insider information from this group on what the head coach wants from a depth forward. Can he capitalize on that?

The post 4 Prospects That Could Earn a Permanent Roster Spot With Avalanche appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Drouin has missed each of the last 16 games since suffering an upper-body injury on opening night. He played 21:25 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 9 as the top-line left wing.

Miles Wood last played on Oct. 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Also recovering from an upper-body injury, he was later placed on IR and has missed seven games. Wood has one goal this season and has played all over the lineup to help the Avs offset the several injuries they’ve dealt with.

With Valeri Nichushkin already confirmed to return Friday against the Washington Capitals, the additions of Drouin and Wood would instantly bolster Colorado’s forward depth, which has won its last three games and four of five since Artturi Lehkonen returned. This would be the first time since last year’s regular-season finale that the Avs would have their entire top-six forward group in tact.

T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov were both sent down following Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Chris Wagner was placed on waivers.

The Avs are off on Thursday.

The post Avalanche Activate Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood from IR appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Artturi Lehkonen returned against Seattle last week and has played some of the best hockey we’ve ever seen from him. He’s averaging more than 24 minutes per game and has two goals and four points in three appearances. Lehkonen had shoulder surgery in May, following Colorado’s six-game series loss to the Dallas Stars, and has spent nearly six months recovering. Despite the arduous process to get back up to speed, Lehkonen hasn’t missed a beat. And he’s playing an insane amount of minutes.

Entering 2024-25, Lehkonen had played more than 25 minutes on three occasions. He’s eclipsed that number twice already since returning and will likely continue to play heavy minutes for as long as he’s the left-wing option on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Valeri Nichushkin’s return on Friday should offer similar results. The Russian forward has a history of making an impact upon returning from a lengthy absence. And unlike Lehkonen, he’s not coming back after physically recovering from an injury.

But as a result of their absences to start the season, along with the injuries later suffered by Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, and Miles Wood, the Avs have needed to use more rookie forwards than they’re used to. Some of them were probably rushed to the NHL (see Matt Stienburg), and others were already in the fight for a roster spot (see Nikolai Kovalenko). But no matter how they’ve gotten here, and regardless of whether they’re still here or will remain when the missing forwards return, there’s something a little bit different about this group.

Calum Ritchie scored his first NHL goal before getting returned to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Ivan Ivan has three goals and five points in 15 games while Kovalenko has two goals and six points. Another rookie, Nikita Prishchepov, who was drafted in the seventh round in June, has done an admirable job despite not yet recording his first point — albeit he’s been close to scoring nearly every game.

This begs the question: Do the Avalanche finally have an exciting group of prospects again?

It sure seems like it.

I often think back to the days of Martin Kaut and Sampo Ranta — how that was supposed to be the next pair of forwards to develop into permanent NHLers. Neither did enough to impress and both are out of the NHL. Then there was Alex Newhook, who’s often linked with defenseman Bowen Byram — a much stronger group of prospects. While both are full-time NHLers — and Stanley Cup Champions — the Avs instead used that duo to acquire their No. 2 and No. 3 centers, Casey Mittelstadt and Ross Colton. The focus then shifted to Jean-Luc Foudy and Oskar Olausson. And while both are still in the system, they’ve either dealt with injuries (Foudy) or have been underwhelming (Olausson).

This latest crop looks to have some promise. Kovalenko is the oldest of the bunch and should be around all year. As for Ivan, I know I’ve written about this before but he’s at least making the front office second guess sending him down or taking him out of the lineup. Prishchepov will be back in the minors as soon as the reinforcements are back — probably on Friday when Nichushkin enters the lineup. But he’s shown that he could be a player, too. And lastly, Ritchie. He’s the youngest but also has the highest upside.

There’s a reality where all four of these guys are key pieces of the Avs’ lineup within the next 12-24 months. There’s a reality where Colorado, facing a cap crunch, could shed a veteran or two and replace them full-time with one of these more cost-effective options. Such is the way of the NHL in a hard salary cap world. After Andre Burakovsky, Nico Sturm, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Nazem Kadri left via free agency in 2022, the team didn’t have young up-and-comers to step in for them. They struggled with depth issues all year as a result.

They might not be the sexiest names. But, guys like Prishchepov, Ivan, Kovalenko, and Ritchie can help extend a Cup window. The Pittsburgh Penguins were famous for this for well over a decade.

Perhaps the Avs finally have the pieces in place to feel good about their next crop of depth forwards. And had it not been for the injuries, they might not have even known what they had.

The post Notebook: Do the Avalanche Finally Have Exciting Prospects Again? appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Only eight guys were taken after Prishchepov. Despite being the 217th player to be selected out of 225, he became the third player from the draft to play in the NHL. All things considered, he actually played great.

Colorado lost by a final score of 5-2, again. This time to the Nashville Predators. It’s the Avs’ third straight loss, all by the same score. They fell to 5-7-0 on the season.

Justus Annunen got the nod in goal for the Avs and suffered a loss in a game he started for the first time this season. My colleague Colleen Flynn wrote about one of the other goalies, Kaapo Kahkonen, in this week’s edition of Flynn’s take. It’s available here for CHN+ subscribers. These are the types of in-depth analysis stories you can expect from both of us behind the paywall. The season still has 70 games to go, and I’d love nothing more than to grow our strong subscriber base. Join us for the ride.

Around The NHL

Florida Hockey Now: Two years ago the Avalanche went to Finland for the Global Series and beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in both games. This year, the Panthers did the same thing to the Dallas Stars. Florida is coming back home on a five-game winning streak.

Washington Capitals: The red-hot Capitals are becoming one of my favorite teams to follow. Not only is the Alex Ovechkin goal chase worth following (he scored again, by the way), but their team seems to have this chemistry thing figured out. Most of the guys they added over the offseason are fitting in and young guys like Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas are producing more than a point per game. On Saturday, Washington scored five goals in the first period and dominated the Blue Jackets 7-2 for their eighth win in 10 games to start the year.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It’s 2024, Ovechkin has six goals and 13 points in 10 games and Sidney Crosby is heating up. Almost 20 years after carrying the NHL as rookies, these guys are still doing their thing. Crosby scored twice on Saturday, helping lift Pittsburgh to a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Over the past three games, Crosby assisted on all three Pens goals in a 5-3 loss to Minnesota, scored both goals against Anaheim, and had the first two vs Montreal. The captain was in on seven straight goals before Blake Lizotte’s empty netter against the Habs.

The post Deen’s Daily: Prishchepov Debuts; Florida Sweeps in Finland; Capitals Keep Winning appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

The Predators are struggling to find chemistry after adding Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei over the offseason. Not only are they not scoring (24 goals in 10 games), but they’re also having trouble keeping the puck out of their net. Star goalie Juuse Saros is 2-5-1 with a .896 save percentage.

The Avs are coming off two consecutive 5-2 losses and continue to battle through injuries. They will remain without six of their top 10 forwards, as well as rookie forward Matt Stienburg, who was suspended for two games and then sent back down to the AHL. His suspension won’t begin until he’s called up again. But because of limited cap space, the Avs had to send him back. To replace him, Colorado called up Nikita Prishchepov. The 20-year-old was drafted No. 217 overall in the 2024 Entry Draft and is looking to become just the third player from this year’s draft to make his NHL debut.

READ MORE: Valeri Nichushkin Skates After Practice — Avalanche Hoping to Have Nichushkin Join Team Practice Soon

Season Series

• Nov. 2 at Nashville Predators
• Nov. 11 vs Nashville Predators
• Dec. 14 vs Nashville Predators

Avalanche Injuries

• Miles Wood (upper body, 7-10 days)
• Ross Colton (foot, 6-8 weeks)
• Jonathan Drouin (upper body, day-to-day)
• Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder, day-to-day)
• Gabriel Landeskog (knee, no timetable)
• Valeri Nichushkin (suspended until at least Nov. 13)

Projected Avalanche Lines (subject to change)

Joel Kiviranta — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ivan Ivan — Casey Mittelstadt — Logan O’Connor
Nikolai Kovalenko – Parker Kelly – Nikita Prishchepov
Oliver Kylington — Chris Wagner — T.J. Tynan

Samuel Girard — Cale Makar
Devon Toews — Josh Manson
Calvin de Haan — Sam Malinski

Justus Annunen
Alexandar Georgiev

Projected Starters (subject to change)

• Unconfirmed: Justus Annunen (COL)
• Unconfirmed: Juuse Saros (NSH)

Upcoming Milestones

• Mikko Rantanen – needs 6 power-play goals for 100
• Devon Toews — needs 7 assists for 200

How to Watch

The post Avalanche Game 12 at Nashville Predators, Lines, Notes, & How to Watch appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

But against all odds, The Avalanche’s No. 217 pick from the 2024 draft just five months ago is poised to make his NHL debut on Saturday. Nikita Prishchepov, 20, was called up ahead of the Avs’ road game in Nashville. He would be the first seventh-rounder to debut in the same year he was drafted since goalie Dylan Ferguson in 2017. No one else has done it since the 2004-05 lockout.

Only eight guys were selected after Prishchepov at the Sphere in June. Not only is he fast-tracking to the NHL, but he’s doing it in a year where only two guys from the draft have played NHL games. No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini has suited up for the San Jose Sharks, albeit only for one game before suffering an injury. He’s expected back soon. And No. 13 overall pick Jett Luchanko dressed in four games for the Philadelphia Flyers before being sent back to the OHL’s Guelph Storm.

Prishchepov finds himself in a unique situation. Because he was an overage draft pick, he was able to play in the American Hockey League right away. Coming off an impressive training camp, the Russian forward signed his entry-level contract and has played well for the Colorado Eagles. He has a goal and three assists in six games. He’s also looking to make the most of an opportunity that only came to be because of a string of injuries and suspensions to the Avalanche lineup.

Already missing four of its top forwards, Colorado lost Miles Wood and Ross Colton to injury on Monday. They were replaced in the lineup with AHL call-up T.J. Tynan and defenseman Oliver Kylington, who was tasked with playing on the wing. But in the very next game, rookie forward Matt Stienburg was assessed a match penalty for charging. He was later suspended for two games and sent back to the AHL to make room for a replacement.

Prishchepov might not stick around for long, at least not now. But first impressions could go a long way for head coach Jared Bednar. He already did a great job of turning heads at camp. But if he shows well in his likely limited opportunity, it’ll only help him in the future. The Avalanche could sure use a draft steal in the later rounds.

The post Nikita Prishchepov, Seventh-Round Pick, Poised to Be Third Player from 2024 Draft to Make NHL Debut appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.