At this weekend’s Rookie Showcase/Faceoff/Tournament (whatever you want to call it as it seems everyone has their own name for it), the Colorado Avalanche has an impressive five first-round picks in attendance.
Two of them, Bowen Byram and Alex Newhook, are as close to NHL roster locks as you can get while playing for a team that has serious hopes of capturing the Stanley Cup this season.
One other, Oskar Olausson, has just been drafted and already knows he’s headed to the OHL to play for the Barrie Colts this year.
The other two, Justin Barron and Shane Bowers, represent both the promise and fear of pinning the future hopes of your franchise on the unpredictable development of teenagers.
While Bowers wasn’t drafted by the Avalanche, he was traded to Colorado just a few months after the Ottawa Senators selected him late in the 2017 first round and he has spent all of his meaningful development in Colorado’s organization. As of this writing, Bowers is the only player selected in 2017’s first round that has yet to appear in the NHL.
Barron had a frustrating draft season that was defined by a persistent blood clotting issue that took him from a potential top-10 selection to where the Avs selected him at 25th overall. His D+1 year, however, was only an arrow that pointed upward, including a nine-game stint in the AHL that saw him post seven points (2G, 5A).
Fresh off that encouraging performance, Barron just completed his first development camp and is enjoying preparing for life as a full-time pro.
“I knew it was going to be a jump coming from junior and playing against 16, 17, 18-year-old kids,” Barron said of his AHL experience. “You jump in and you’re playing against professionals and they’re all men. I thought overall through the nine games I was able to improve. It was good for me to get my feet wet in that league.”
The performance of Barron as a 19-year-old in the AHL was so encouraging that the Avs felt Conor Timmins, who finally had settled in as an NHL player, was expendable in their chase for Darcy Kuemper. Without Barron’s performance last year, it’s a lot less likely the Avs would have been comfortable moving on from Timmins and might have lost the bidding war for Kuemper’s services to the Edmonton Oilers, who were also pushing hard for the netminder.
That feels like a good example of the system working as intended. Timmins was a high draft pick who developed well despite some bumps in the road and was looking solid at the end of last year. Barron’s play for Halifax was nothing short of exceptional and the seamless transition to the AHL put him on the map as a potential call-up in the NHL as early as this season.
On the flip side, you have Bowers, a key piece of the Matt Duchene trade that happened on November 5, 2017. Had he not been an NCAA kid (and therefore not eligible to attend this showcase), this could be the third time Bowers has been at this event. Most first-round picks only appear once or twice and it was certainly a surprise to see his name on the roster given he’s entering his third full season in pro hockey.
The upside of an experienced player like Bowers is that he’s been an extension of the coaching staff on the ice and has leaned on his maturity and leadership skills to help the younger attendees find their way.
“I’ve been here for a while now,” Bowers said. “I know the coaching staff, the players, the systems. I think it’s more so I can just be someone that the younger guys who are unfamiliar with things can look to and lean on to see me set the example. If they have questions, I’m someone who they can ask and learn.”
Surely, the organization loves that side of Bowers, who comes across as a polished human being even as a 22-year-old. That’s something he credited to leaving home at 16 to go play in the USHL and NCAA instead of staying close to home in the CHL system.
Where Bowers has won over the organization with maturity and work ethic, he’s still finding his way after a hard-luck year last year that saw him twice be removed from action because of COVID-related contact tracing. Even worse, both times the contact tracing was the result of false-positive tests, a large factor in Bowers struggling to find any semblance of a rhythm or getting a shot when the myriad injuries at the NHL level cropped up.
Instead of being bitter about his luck, Bowers has taken the approach of understanding the bigger picture involved in a pandemic-riddled world the last year-plus.
“You know, it sucked, but a lot of people had to go through the same thing,” Bowers said. “It was just a tough year for everyone. I got a couple of bad bounces and it was tough to find a rhythm when I had to keep sitting out but I think that’s just what everyone is excited for this year; a little normalcy and getting back to living, not just playing hockey, not having to worry about the rest of that stuff.”
Keeping his head up and on straight is important for Bowers, who could easily be feeling sorry for himself or lamenting the organization not giving him more opportunity. He’s not letting himself slide into that headspace, however, as his goal remains very clear.
“You have to stay positive and be confident in yourself,” Bowers said. “I haven’t played in the NHL yet and that’s always been my goal so that’s what keeps me motivated. I haven’t gotten there yet, so I have to keep working towards that and keep working for an opportunity, and if I do get that opportunity, not to let it slide. That’s what keeps me motivated to continue.”
With two games left here in Arizona before the kids travel back to Denver and prepare for real training camp with the NHL team, Bowers knows he still has a job to do here as he looks to, as Eagles head coach Greg Cronin said the other day, “separate from the herd.”
This is where the stories and paths of Barron and Bowers once again intersect as each player knows they’re on the outside of the NHL conversation looking in right now. That can change, obviously, but it starts with them finding a way to push themselves into that spotlight.
“I wouldn’t really say it’s a pressure, I think it’s a standard,” Bowers explained. “I’ve been here a few years now and that’s what’s expected. I need to play my game and perform. I’m one of the older guys here so hopefully I can lead by example. It’s expected of me to perform so that’s pressure but it’s healthy pressure. I embrace that and I’m going to do what I can to play my game.”
Barron has a little different approach, naturally, given their different levels of experience in this situation, but even he mostly is in the same place emotionally as Bowers.
“I don’t feel much pressure right now,” Barron said. “I think getting down with the Eagles last year, getting my feet wet, coming back this year I already knew a lot of people but also a little bit more comfortable with the style of play here. This is my first full pro year, I don’t feel a ton of pressure right now. Honestly, it’s mostly excitement.”
That excitement is mutual as the organization and its fans can’t wait to see what they have in an up-and-comer like Barron, while everyone approaches Bowers with more nervous excitement as it feels like time is starting to run out on his opportunity to make the leap.
In their defense, the organization has consistently taken the party line that Bowers is doing just fine and not everyone is going to develop as quickly as other players. From director of player development Brian Willsie to Cronin and even to assistant general manager Craig Billington, they’ve all expressed a version of optimism about Bowers and want to see him respond to the adversity of last year.
The future of the Avs may not entirely hinge on what becomes of Barron and Bowers but their paths, to this point, are a perfect representation of the high-wire act organizations walk when they try to plan for the future.
Where the futures of these two young men end up taking them, we simply don’t know yet, but their roads crossing at this particular intersection is part of what makes these events such an interesting experience. In this case, the Avs are hoping the patience pays off.
