Training Camp - Day Two

Day two of training camp was definitely a lot more physical than day one. The hits were harder and there were a couple of fights (kinda fights, mostly pushing and angry words starting with Winnik and Quincey). Cody McLeod was not taking it easy on anyone, he didn't care who was on the other team, he was throwing hits. Which was probably the highlight of the gray team's play as they lost both their scrimmages in a combined 11-2 score. The blue team beat them 6-1 with two goals from Brandon Yip. The black team then beat them in the second scrimmage 5-1 with two goals and an assist from Chris Stewart. Team blue was the winner of the day as they beat team black 3-0 in the final scrimmage of the day during which Yip scored his third goal of the day. Calvin Pickard and Trevor Cann combined for the blue team's shut out.



One of the young guys that stood out to me was Matt Ford. It seemed like he was constantly flying into the offensive zone and putting some great shots on net. Greg Mauldin continued to look good during the scrimmages and could be a serious contender for a roster spot or be high on the list of call-ups in case of injury. Ryan Stoa is another one of the guys that looks like he could win a position on the roster. He definitely looked good during camp. On defense, Colby Cohen looked great on the ice today. He's definitely an offensive defenseman, but he could possibly be the Avs 7th defenseman (or maybe temporarily the 6th while Cumiskey is being held out with a slight groin injury).

Cameron Gaunce was a name that was bounced around a lot as a guy who could be in a position to take up a roster spot this season, but I wasn't totally convinced that he was ready. He got into a bit of a pushing match with Cody McLeod and that was the only thing about him that really stuck out to me. Kevin Shattenkirk was another name in the same category and another player that doesn't quite look ready for the NHL (I noticed a lot of failures to keep the puck in the offensive zone on his part). Of course they could both step it up during the preseason and steal a spot from someone else, nothing is set in stone yet. The trouble with the shorter training camp format (2 days instead of the usual 4) is that a lot of guys have a lot to prove in a short amount of time.

It seems unlikely that we'll be seeing the Avs' first draft pick Joey Hishon play for the parent club at any point this year. He looks to be headed for the minors. Hishon's on the small side for an NHL player (under 6 feet tall and only 170 lbs.) and has a tendency to look lost when he's not playing the puck. He could just be starstruck attending his first NHL training camp at 18 (not everyone can mature as fast as Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly). He definitely shows some great potential, but I don't think he's ready for the big leagues just yet. During one of the scrimmages he was participating in, he was injured and was pulled off the ice for the remainder of the day (and according to http://avalanche.nhl.com it was mostly a precaution).

Chris Stewart was flying all over the ice today and seems like he is going to be a force to be reckoned with this year. He was really clicking well with line-mates T.J. Galiardi and Paul Stastny and I think they will definitely be a great offensive threat together. The lost weight and gained muscle mass over the summer definitely seems to be a boost to his game. Kevin Porter looked good at this year's camp as well. He definitely seems like the experience he gained with the Avs last year was beneficial and he has built on it.


After a short training camp, it is now up to the players who are trying to earn a job to have a strong showing in the Burgundy and White game and preseason. Of course, everyone who attended training camp will not even necessarily make it to the annual intra-squad scrimmage tomorrow night. It will be interesting in the next couple weeks to see who is cut and who makes it onto that opening night roster on October 7th. All in all it was an entertaining training camp and made me really look forward to the regular season!