Top 25 Avalanche Under 25: #18 Borna Rendulic

As the Top 25 Under 25 countdown continues, we reach the ranks of players with some NHL experience under their belts.

Borna Rendulic lands at #18 on our list. He marks a departure from the Rick Pracey-style players profiled previously, from his undrafted signing to his large frame and slower skating.

The former SM-Liiga forward and Team Croatia alternate captain Rendulic might have seen his ranking climb by a few places had his NHL season not been cut unfortunately short by a broken leg. All of our staff rated him at least #19 and the Zagreb, Croatia native only has room to improve.

Who is Borna Rendulic?

Undrafted, the young Croatian was acquired by the Avalanche as a free agent in May 2014. Immediately noticeable in his stat sheet above is his size. Rendulic has a big 6’3″ frame, although he has yet to learn to use it to his advantage at the NHL level. His last season with HPK Hameenlinna, he led the team in scoring. The year before that, he helped lead Croatia’s national team to a gold medal at the Division II Group A World Championships.

Rendulic began the 2014-15 season with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, where he tallied eight points in 26 games. However, he was called up to the injury-riddled Avs in December. Called up for three games, he played predominantly on the fourth line and didn’t register any points. He was sent back to Lake Erie, then called up again at the end of the year.

Though he struggled to adapt to the North American style of play, this was to be expected for someone with no experience outside of Europe and the Worlds. Despite his low points totals, Rendulic managed a few magic moments, such as this absolute beauty of a goal against the AHL’s Utica Comets:

The goal above highlights the talents of Rendulic’s that consistently catch the eye and must have made an impression at Avalanche training camp last year. For someone his size, his smooth skating and impressive hands mark him surprisingly as a more of a skill player in a power forward’s body.

On New Years Eve 2014, Rendulic scored his first NHL goal, making him the first Croatian-born player to do so:

Unfortunately, less than three weeks later, the young forward sustained a broken leg in a game against the Florida Panthers in mid-January.

What is the future for Borna Rendulic?

The 2014-15 season would have been a great time for Rendulic to adjust his playstyle to the North American game, but alas, it wasn’t in the cards. He will never be the fastest skater on the Avalanche, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in a keen eye and skilled hands. It may take time for him to grow into a truly effective player on smaller AHL and NHL ice, but the potential is there.

Rendulic is signed through 2015-16 with a cap hit of $620,000. Rendulic is only 22, and any player with little experience in North America is expected to have growing pains. Provided he can bounce back from his leg injury and tighten up his play, he is a player that will add some understated skill and depth to the fourth and maybe third lines.