Oliver Kylington's immigration adventure ends in strong debut on Day 2 of Avalanche training camp

Here were the groups from today:

As Day 2 of training camp ended for the Colorado Avalanche, the media gathered around one locker in particular. Oliver Kylington, one of the newly-acquired defensemen brought in over the summer, had not appeared on the ice yesterday after an immigration snafu left him stuck in a hotel room for over two weeks and his gear stuck in France.

Instead of leaning into his frustration over the setback in trying to start off strong with his new organization, Kylington used it as a chance to learn something new.

“Patience,” Kylington said with a laugh. “I’ve learned a lot about patience. I think patience is something I’ve learned a lot about the last two and a half weeks by being stuck in a hotel room.”

Patience was also required when Kylington hit the free agent market this summer. Not only did he not sign July 1 when he was able to receive offers after not re-signing with the Calgary Flames, but he waited an entire month to make that choice.

As Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland expressed strong interest in bringing him to Colorado, so do did two countrymen, one who just signed in Colorado himself and another who has long been one of the faces of the organization.

“Erik Brannstrom a little bit, but Gabe [Landeskog] I’ve known for a couple of years. He’s the most familiar face for me.”

Kylington said it wasn’t a strong push from Landeskog, but an educational one that helped him decide to eschew many other offers to sign on to fight for a spot on a crowded blueline in Colorado.

“[Landeskog] spoke about the city and the guys and the dressing room,” Kylington said. “It felt natural to sign here and be a part of this organization, this group. I’m just looking forward to it.”

Joining a blueline that has nine other viable NHL defensemen means Kylington is going to have to fight for his job, not just in training camp but every day. That is a challenge he understood when signing and is embracing.

“I think it’s just healthy for everyone,” he said. “Everyone steps up and tries to play their best game. That feeds off each other. I think competitiveness is a healthy thing.”

A lot of (virtual) ink has been spilled in recent years in talking about Colorado’s culture, but the “Cup or bust” mentality was something Kylington felt was a good fit for his personality and his career.

“I like [the competition]. It’s a really special group of players and they put a lot of high demand on each other. That’s how I feel it’s supposed to be so I just try to be myself and the personality I am and contribute with hard work and just try to be a good teammate.”

A strong puck-mover whose exploits on defense are the more questionable aspect of his game, Kylington’s skating is a high-end trait that fits perfectly with the attack mentality the Avalanche play with.

“I’ve kind of played a similar system before when I had Darryl Sutter as coach in Calgary,” Kylington said. “We played kind of a similar style to what we play here. I feel this system suits me very well. It’s a lot of skating and a lot of pressing and a lot of quick reboots and a high-tempo game. I feel that suits my game really well. It felt like a no-brainer to come here and try to contribute.”

Day 2 Avalanche Observations

• To my eye, Oliver Kylington was rusty and appeared to be fighting his gear a little bit (no surprise). His feet looked solid as ever and I liked the effort in the more physical drills, but this is an environment that highlights his strengths and hides his weaknesses.
• I thought Sam Girard was flying out there and the best player on the ice. He looked locked in. His mobility is as strong as ever and he was moving pucks and attacking the way we know he can. He was a disruptive force during the few drills that featured lines going against each other. Very good reading of the ice.
• Another day, another banner outing for Nikolai Kovalenko. Yesterday he flashed his passing ability. Today we saw a lot more of his shooting and it was locked in. His day really took off when they started doing the 1v1 battle drills and he could showcase his strength. He isn’t tall, but he’s nicknamed “Tank” for a reason. Poor Chad Hillebrand, all 6’3″, 205 pounds of him, found that out the hard way. Woof.
• What I’ve taken to calling the “Baby Boy Line” consisting of Oskar Olausson, Cal Ritchie, and Jean-Luc Foudy had fun moments today. Olausson shot some pucks well, which is what he does. Ritchie’s game is a little more nuanced right now as this is his first taste of NHL pace. He had some great work in shooting, passing, and defending. Foudy’s shot has long been a mess, but he wired it multiple times. It’s never going to overpower a goaltender, but accuracy is going to have to be his calling card. Foudy also had a few of those unexpected slip passes to the front of the net, which is something he has done countless times with the Colorado Eagles.
• There was one notable moment with Ritchie that had nothing to do with his on-ice play. As his line went off the ice to sit on the bench, Jared Bednar redirected him to the bench with Nathan MacKinnon and Ross Colton’s lines on it while his two linemates went to the bench with the non-NHL players. It sure looks like Ritchie is being told he’s an NHLer in their eyes, he just needs to prove it with his play.
• Casey Mittelstadt is a ton of fun with the puck. His creativity and ability to protect the puck by bringing it so close to his body while still maintaining possession is impressive. It’s a small part of his game, but I love watching it. I’m probably irrationally excited for his instant chemistry with Kovalenko. I do find it funny that the Avs are using Jere Innala as a fill-in to an amusing degree. They replaced Artturi Lehkonen with another Finn whose jersey number ends in “2”? I laughed.
• Speaking of 2, Sean Behrens has been fun to watch. Jumping into the play and attacking up the ice seems to fit him wonderfully. He played a more conservative style at Denver but through two days of camp, I have enjoyed his adjustment to Avalanche hockey.
• If you haven’t already listened to it, go check out today’s podcast to hear Calvin de Haan talk about his game and his journey. A very nice guy.

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