On June 13th, the Colorado Avalanche announced that 29-year-old centerman Lukas Sedlak has joined the organization on a one-year deal. The Czechia native spent the last three seasons in the KHL with the Traktor Chelyabinsk. Before that, he played three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and three prior with their AHL affiliate. In his time in the KHL, he notched 121 points through 164 games.
He was drafted by Columbus 158th overall in the 6th round of the 2011 draft. His start in the AHL coincided with Jared Bednar’s leadership behind the Springfield Falcons’ bench. In the 2015-16 season, Bednar was promoted to head coach and Columbus shifted their affiliation to the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland. That year, Lake Erie went 15–2 in the 2016 playoffs and won the Calder Cup championship. Sedlak contributed 16 points through 17 games on that run. It was the second taste of success Bednar experienced as a coach after winning the Kelly Cup with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays in 2009.
With three opening night roster spots up for grabs to start this season, the battle for those final positions prompted fair questions. On October 12th, Sedlak was on the team. Did their past experience influence Bednar’s decision to give him the nod?
“No,” Bednar said. “I have a good understanding of what he brings along with some of the guys that didn’t make the final cut. It’s an evaluation of what we feel like that fourth line is going to look like for now. We have some flexibility there with Meyers, Cogliano, and OC as well. We have to find a mix that works for us with the players that we have. Those guys have cleared waivers for us, so that was a flexibility thing. We may see some other guys coming up and down as well.”
Similarly, Bednar simplified the decision by outlining the position-specific needs of the team that required filling – at least for now.
“With Helm out of the lineup, I think [Sedlak] can fill that role [of] fourth line center. [He’s a] responsible checking guy with a heaviness to his game and a proven track record to be able to do that,” Bednar explained. “He can fill in on the penalty kill for us. It’s more role specific. Some of the other guys that were close and played well were wingers, and we needed a centerman to play that role. I’ve liked what he’s done. He has some growth that still has to come. As he gets more used to our system, he’s getting a little bit quicker in it.”
Some of that room for growth has already prompted decision-making. Today, Ben Meyers was reassigned to the Colorado Eagles. His waiver-exempt status made the change as simple as an hour drive to Loveland. The Eagles will kick off their home opener against the Calgary Wranglers this weekend, and Meyers will join them. Sedlak was also placed on waivers this afternoon. If he clears, he will join the Eagles in Loveland as well. Get to know a little more about this newcomer in his own words.
You’ve been coached under Bednar before, how has he changed or how is he similar to what you remember?
“The stats and everything (analytics) have developed a little bit over the last six years. He’s [probably] using more stats and stuff like that as far as I could see. As a person and as a coach on the ice, he’s still the same. He’s all about the small details of the game and a demanding coach. That’s what I think [has brought] him success over the years.”
You signed in June as the Avs were in the middle of what would be a successful playoff run, what was it like to learn you’d be coming to this team specifically?
“When they called, I was really happy. I knew they had been really good for the past few years, so I was looking forward to it. When I signed and they [were going to] the finals, I was looking at some [of the] games. It was exciting to see that they were all the way there. I was a little bit nervous too because going to the team that won, I didn’t know what to expect being the new guy and stuff like that. So, I was a little bit nervous.”
What has it been like battling for an opening night spot the last few weeks?
“It’s hard especially [when] you come here [and] you don’t really know anybody, it’s hard to get adjusted a little bit. For me, coming from the KHL where the hockey is way slower and the ice is bigger, it took me a couple of games to get my timing and everything right, [like] the positioning. [The] last two (preseason) games were pretty good for me. I hope to build off of that.”
Tell me about the decision to transition from the KHL back to North America, did you consider other teams?
“The situation was strange because I still had a contract in the KHL for one more year. Because of the situation and what’s going on there, we talked to the team and KHL and decided to break my contract. Then, I was just looking at my options. I had one option in [the] Czech Republic. I would stay home – I didn’t want to go anywhere else except the NHL or the Czech League. A couple of teams called, and I decided [on] Colorado.”
How would you describe the culture here?
[It’s a] highly demanding culture. Everybody wants to be on the top of their game. Everybody wants to look for the details even in the practice – every practice matters, every pass matters. That’s what I like about it. Everybody [is] trying to get better every day. It’s not just coming here and having fun while we’re out there on the ice. It’s about getting better and getting our game where it should be, and that’s what I like.
What is special about your game that you can bring to the lineup?
“Lots of defense work. Hopefully I will chip in some points, but I will look more for defense [on the] penalty kill and stuff like that – you know, a couple of hits a game, just being a little rat on the ice when the team needs a spark.”
How do you like Colorado so far?
“I haven’t seen much. I played all the games and traveled a lot, so when I had a day off I was just relaxing. I saw the hotel and the two arenas basically,” he joked. “I visited Frankie, so I saw a little bit of close to downtown. I have a nice view of the mountains. I look at that every day. When I have a chance, I will go for sure. It looks nice.”
“I asked people before I came here, ‘What should I do?’ and I have Frankie who talks to me a lot,” he added.
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Colorado is 2-1-0 through three regular season games. The fourth line made up of Kurtis MacDermid, Lukas Sedlak, and Ben Meyers struggled to have an impact so far. Anton Blidh did not appear in those games and was reassigned to the Colorado Eagles. The flexibility Bednar has described is already evident. Darren Helm’s injury is on the tail end of the projected timeline for return, and he is still skating in a no-contact jersey. In his absence, opportunity will persist.
“[Will there be] changes to the bottom-six? Possibly,” Bednar said. “If we don’t get the right amount of impact, we have guys who are all fighting for those jobs. We’re giving some guys a look right now. If they put together a few good games, they’ll stay. If they have a few bad ones, we’ll probably look at trying to find a mix that works for us. What that is exactly, I’m not sure just yet. [Blidh] earned the right to be here through training camp. There’s no question. I chose a different lineup for game one, and I thought I’d go back to that for game two. He didn’t play and the Eagles are playing. He’s already cleared waivers as part of the flexibility of it. I want him to be ready. We’ll see how he does (in the game). We’ll watch the other guys who [were] sent down as well and make some decisions in our lineup.”
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gstpulldn
Well, there’s some irony for you.