Get to know Ryan Gropp Date of Birth: 9/16/1996 Place of Birth: Kamloops, BC, CAN Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 190 lbs Shoots: Left Position: Left Wing Team: Seattle Thunderbirds Ryan Gropp is a goal-scorer, and got a lot of face-time this season finishing off plays for one of the more highly rated players in this WHL draft class, Matthew Barzal. Gropp led the Thunderbirds in…...
Get to know Keegan Kolesar Date of Birth: 4/8/1997 Place of Birth: Winnipeg, MB, CAN Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 216 lbs Shoots: Right Position: Right Wing Team: Seattle Thunderbirds Every coach loves having a guy like Keegan Kolesar on his team, and I’m sure former Avalanche winger and current head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, Steve Konowalchuk, is no different. Kolesar isn’t flashy — he’s…...
Get to know Brendan Guhle Date of Birth: 7/29/1997 Place of Birth: Sherwood Park, AB, CAN Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 184 lbs Shoots: Left Position: Defenseman Team: Prince Albert Raiders The WHL has become known for being a defensive-minded league, and producing its fair share of NHL blue-liners. Brendan Guhle appears to be on that path, utilizing strong skating and poise on the…...
The Backstory It’s time to address that elephant in the room — or perhaps it’s actually a rhino. Ryan O’Reilly is sure to garner a lot of ink this summer, as the Avalanche weigh their option of a long-term contract for O’Reilly against the possibility of trading him. The backstory is simple. The Avalanche and O’Reilly haven’t been two peas…...
Get to know Andrew Nielsen Date of Birth: 11/13/1996 Place of Birth: Red Deer, AB, CAN Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 207 lbs Shoots: Left Position: Defenseman Team: Lethbridge Hurricanes Andrew Nielsen is a Canadian defenseman who currently anchors the Lethbridge Hurricanes blue-line in the WHL. Coupling great size with decent skating and puck moving skills, Nielsen has the foundation necessary to potentially reach the next…...
Get to know Nicolas Roy Date of Birth: 2/05/1997 Place of Birth: Amos, QC, CAN Ht: 6’4″ Wt: 195 lbs Shoots: Right Position: Center Team: Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) Nicolas Roy is a prospect who finds himself slipping in the wrong direction on many draft boards as June 26th approaches. Entering the 2014-15 campaign with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL, Roy…...
Get to know Gabriel Gagné Date of Birth: 11/11/1996 Place of Birth: Laval, QC, CAN Ht: 6’5″ Wt: 186 lbs Shoots: Right Position: Center/Right Wing Team: Victoriaville Tigres Some players wow you in spite of their physical gifts. Other players have the look, and tantalize scouts with an imposing, athletic frame, although they have some areas to clean up and improve before their…...
Get to know Anthony Beauvillier Date of Birth: 6/8/1997 Place of Birth: Sorel-Tracy, QC, CAN Ht: 5’10″ Wt: 173 lbs Shoots: Right Position: Center/Left Wing Team: Shawinigan Cataractes Anthony Beauvillier is a point producer — utilizing a smooth game on the ice to be the offensive catalyst for his QMJHL team, the Shawinigan Cataractes. Coaches praise his leadership and passion for playing hockey as…...
Ryan O’Reilly. That hockey player Avalanche Nation learns to hate every off-season, and learns to love every regular season. The bearded guy known as Factor comes in at number four on our ‘Top 25 Under 25’ list, with an interesting spread among the six BSN Avalanche writers. A pair of writers rated O’Reilly third, another pair fourth, and a final…...
Get to Know Adam Marsh Date of Birth: 8/22/1997 Place of Birth: Chicago, IL, USA Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 160 lbs Shoots: Left Position: Left Wing Team: Saint John Sea Dogs Adam Marsh at his best is a sniper, who can create electric, goal-scoring moments for his team out of the blue. Adam Marsh at his worst is a player who remains in the…...
Ask any Colorado Avalanche fan about Joey Hishon, and they will immediately tell you they have a soft spot in their heart for him. His charismatic persona and unwavering resilience, when faced with a darkness and hurdle that no athlete ever hopes to face, has made him a fan favorite in Denver. At 5’10” and 170 pounds, Hishon isn’t…...
Get to know Nathan Noel Date of Birth: 6/21/1997 Place of Birth: St. John’s, NL, CAN Ht: 5’11″ Wt: 172 lbs Shoots: Right Position: Center Team: Saint John Sea Dogs Some players just have a tendency to grab your attention whenever they are on the ice. Nathan Noel is one of those players. He exemplifies the cliche — it’s not the size of the sea dog…...
Get to Know Evgeny Svechnikov Date of Birth: 10/31/1996 Place of Birth: Neftegorsk, RUS Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 205 lbs Shoots: Left Position: Left Wing Team: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Evgeny (Yevgeny) Svechnikov is a dynamic Russian forward who made the jump to North American hockey just prior to his 18th birthday last season. Despite the Avalanche’s presumed interest in…...
We enter the teens of our ‘Top 25 Avalanche Under 25’ series today, with defenseman Kyle Wood holding down the #19 spot on our list. Wood is essentially a polar opposite to the much smaller forward, Colin Smith, who was profiled yesterday. The 6’5″ and 210 pound Wood was consistently rated by the BSN Avalanche staff, with the six votes split…...
A run of three straight defenseman (check out: #23 Cody Corbett, #22 Will Butcher, and #21 Mat Clark) in our ‘Top 25 Under 25’ series comes to an end today, as #20 on our list is forward Colin Smith. Smith is an undersized centerman with plenty of skill and spunk. He was fairly consistently rated among all six BSN…...
The power play — one of the more compelling facets of NHL hockey. In reality, it is a small part of the equation, yet it frequently has a large impact on the final outcome. How often does a team lament missed opportunities with the man-advantage after a loss, or applaud the power play if it helps achieve victory? The Colorado…...
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