Just as promised by Tracy Tutton in her interview yesterday, the third day of Avs prospect camp focused on stopping, starting, crossovers, and explosive first steps.  By this point, it was pretty easy to peg who was going to have a good day and who was about to be absolutely miserable before the drills even began.

Without a doubt, there was a ton of growth in the players over the course of the camp, but today, the usual suspects continued to be the usual suspects when it came to strong skating.  The most interesting part of the day therefore became seeing who took the coaching and instruction in stride and who continued to cheat on drills.  There was a good mix of both in each of the groups.

Burgundy finally got their turn with the goalies, so I managed to get a few notes on their shots.  Unfortunately, Spencer Martin – the most promising goalie of the group – wasn’t there, so my notes on him aren’t as complete as I would have liked. I’m not a goaltending expert, but as promised, I’ll include my observations about the netminders  at the bottom of the post.

I also included my overall thoughts on each player from all three days of camp. Recaps of Day 1 and Day 2 are available as well, but buckle in for this one.  It’s a long and detailed article, but with any luck, it brings a worthwhile amount of insight into the Avs’ rookie prospects.

Burgundy Team:

#57 Bigras: He was thrown a bit by the mohawk yesterday, but he was right back in his comfort zone today. His shot is pro-caliber: sneaky, strong, and accurate with a quick release. Around the net, he doesn’t like shooting on his backhand (as mentioned yesterday), but his forehand aimed topshelf shortside is downright deadly.  He’s confident with the puck, he passes well, and he even threw a nice fake or two when coming out of the corner along the boards on a few drills today.

The refinement continued with his skating. He has a very good top speed and a quick first step.  A hockey stop followed by a change in direction didn’t throw him one bit, and his spins around defensemen were graceful and preserved his momentum.  He had zero issue twirling in circles with the puck on his stick, plus his crossovers were deep and powerful.  His transitions from forward to backward skating were just as smooth and effortless.  Today was just another outstanding showing from Chris Bigras.

Overall Thoughts:  There is no question that Bigras has the individual skills to play in the NHL. His passing, shooting, and skating are all there, and while he could still work on the mohawk, it’s not an absolutely critical skill. If his reportedly strong hockey IQ transfers to training camp and he can physically deal with the size of NHL players, he has a shot at making the big team this year.

#54 Greer: He has two speeds – 110% speed or impatiently fidgeting. He has a really hard time standing still or slowing drills down, even after coaches have asked him to relax a bit.  Even in line, he’ll be playing with a puck or passing with someone.  He’s Mr. Intensity on the ice all the time.

Luckily, that translates into his play.  His stops and first step are explosive, crisp, and aggressive, and he really bites into the ice to get power. He had a few balance issues today and wiped out a couple times, but he’s constantly pushing himself to get better.  For a forward, his backward skating is very strong and controlled, and his crossovers are deep and powerful.  He can tee up a slapshot or shoot while moving very effectively, and he picks spots and lasers the puck past goalies.  If he misses, he attacks rebounds like a rabid dog.  All in all, he has a nose for the net, even if his screens are still fairly easy to see around.

Overall Thoughts: It’s a bummer he’s a college player and can’t come to training camp.  It would be very interesting to see him match up against NHL players.  With that said, he had a very good showing over the past three days in comparison to his peers, and he’s certainly making the Avs look smart for picking him at #39.  Hopefully his refined, intense skills translate to game situations.  Definitely a prospect to keep an eye on.

#72 Beaudin: Beaudin had a bit of a mixed bag today.  His shot definitely had a bit of life to it, even if it wasn’t overly wow inducing, and his skating had its moments.  There were some balance issues here and there, but he had a sneaky amount of straight-line speed and ended up being one of the fastest in the group.  His stops are also very crisp and rapid (even if he did occasionally struggle to come out of them cleanly), and he likes to go after rebounds.  Unfortunately, he also cheated a bit with some of his back crossovers and had a lot of movement in his shoulders while switching from forward to backward skating, plus his screening technique could still use some improvement.

However, in between each drill, he worked on his skills, especially for the spin around a defensemen move. During the first few times the drill was run, he sent up a big spray of ice, basically stopping and starting his momentum instead of carrying it through cleanly.  By the end of the drill, he was doing much better.  He also found new and creative ways to come out from along the boards in the corner and attack the net every time it was his turn.  Even though his raw skills didn’t overly wow today, he still made a positive impression.

Overall Thoughts: It’s clear he’s still a bit raw, but he does have some strong flashes. He’s fast when going in a straight line, but he still has some issues with his agility and balance.  Of all the prospects at camp, he was the most hot and cold, but his age means he still has some time to get it figured out.  It’s going to be interesting to see which way his development takes him.  There’s potential, but can he refine it?

#67 Magyar: Skill-wise, Magyar had a bit of a rough day.  His shot was the weakest and slowest of the group, and he had a difficult time dealing with some of the harder passes.  His straightaway skating was cloppy and slow, and he had some problems keeping both hands on his stick as he was preforming starts and stops going backwards.  His head was down during a few drills, and he lost a lot of momentum during his attempts to spin around defensemen.  It was pretty clear today that his game needs a lot of refinement before it’s ready for the next level.

However, he proved to be very coachable. He talked to both David Oliver and Tracy Tutton repeatedly, and he instantly went out and tried to apply what he’d learned.  His spin around defensemen improved immensely as the drill went on, and his passing got better after a few suggestions. He was also one of the first to keep moving his feet as after he came away from the boards instead of glinding towards the goal as Oliver had instructed. On top of that, Magyar was the first player on the ice this morning and spent those few extra minutes practicing his mohawk and stride mechanics from days 1 and 2.

Overall Thoughts: He has a long way to go, but at least he’s willing to work to get there.  At this point, it’s a bit of a race against the clock. His rights expire in less than a year, so the question becomes can he impress the Avs front office enough to earn a contract?  From what I saw at camp, his skating and his shot probably aren’t going to get it done, so what else does he have to offer?  Training camp could be quite telling for him.

#56 Storm:  Ben Storm is a big guy, but he did surprisingly well with these drills today.  He’s not an explosive skater, but he digs into the ice well and generates a lot of power, meaning he’s like a freight train once he gets going.  He did have a few issues with the red line-blue line start and stop drill, but part of that is his long stride making the transitions look awkward and slow.  His spin around defensemen was smooth and relatively controlled, even if he did have to look down at the puck a lot and could have used a bit more speed.  He also doesn’t have the fastest hands or a real nose for the net, so it’s clear that his game isn’t that of a big-time scorer, even if his slapshot is fairly decent.

He also helped move the nets for the zamboni guy twice this morning, which was a nice touch.

Overall Thoughts: As another NCAA player, he won’t get a chance to show up at the main camp, but the Avs possess his rights for another two seasons.  If he can get his speed up a bit, he might make a decent depth defensive prospect. Unfortunately, the Avs blueline is about to become quite crowded down the left side.  He did everything he could to make his case over the past three days, but it could become a numbers game. We’ll see.

#64 Westlund: His occasional balance issue wasn’t enough to wipe the smile off his today. He’d wipe out, completely lose the puck, or wiggle ominously when coming to a stop and just keep grinning right on through.  Compared to the rest of the group, he seemed slower and less sharp in almost all of his movements, including his skating and his shots, and he had a bit of a bunny hop and excessive upper body movement when transitioning from forward to backward skating.  On the bright side, he did have one of the most explosive starts of the burgundy crew.

Overall Thoughts: He didn’t really stand out much during camp. His skills are still very raw and unrefined, which could make standing out in training camp when facing NHL players that much more difficult.

#73 Hamonic: One of the pleasant surprises today was Justin Hamonic. His crossovers, both backwards and forwards, were very smooth, and his shot had a good quick release and some zip to it.  He was very quick in the red line-blue line stop/start drill and kept his head up most of the time.  His stride was long and generated a decent amount of speed (even if it did take him a bit to get going), and he made some smooth tight turns even with the puck. He even threw some good fakes when coming out of the corner along the boards.

Overall Thoughts: The Avs defensive depth chart is a bit crowded right now, so it’s unclear whether or not he’ll get a contract. However, he did what he could and made the most of his invite. From working on drills during free time on the ice to showing a good deal of improvement as camp went on, he had a respectable showing.  Hopefully it pays off.

 

Grey Team:

#50 Rantanen: Like Bigras, Rantanen is just a natural skater. He could still milk a bit more power from some of his movements and improve the explosiveness of his first step, but he looked smooth and comfortable today. His crossovers were very deep and had a good push, his spins were smooth, and he did very well in the start/stop drills.  He even beautifully sniped the puck a few times today.

Overall Thoughts: He could stand to add a bit more strength and refinement to some of his skating actions, but he’s still 18 and very mobile as it is.  He’s definitely not a Matt Duchene type of player, but his stride reminds me a bit of Landeskog’s during his rookie year.  If Rantanen ends up in the NHL next year, I doubt his speed will hold him back.  He’s just very natural and smooth on his skates.

#71 Meloche: He cheated a bit again today, especially near the end when he was asked to twirl around the center ice circle while carrying a puck. He didn’t respond to coaching all that well either.  However, he wasn’t too terrible overall.  His spins always ended up going way wider than they should have and his stride isn’t very explosive, but he kept his head up when stopping and starting and did okay skill-wise. Not a great showing, but not a terrible one either.

Overall Thoughts: He needs to get better about doing what he’s asked, even if it’s difficult for him.  Still, he shows raw potential. He’s young and will be given time to refine his game, which should help him for development camp next summer.  As a player from the Q, he should be at training camp, so it will be interesting to see his progress over the rest of the summer, as well as how he does when faced with the quick skating NHLers.  There’s potential, but he’s not ready yet.

#65 Geertsen: Geertsen is absolutely not an explosive player. He has a good top speed and is stable, steady, and efficiently, but he’s never going to win a race right out of the gate.  To make up for this, his skating form is absolutely impeccable.  He gets the most out of every stride, and he always has his head up.  His start/stops were quite solid considering his size, and his crossovers were so wide and powerful that he kept pace using only one stride to everyone else’s two.  He did slow quite a bit when asked to handle the puck, and he did wipe out at least once when asked to go faster.  It was clear that he was pushing himself to get better out there, even when he was the most technically refined skater of the group.

Overall Thoughts: Geertsen is probably never going to be a big scorer, but he could probably play 30 minutes a night and be just fine. His skating is so smooth and efficient that if it translates to a game and is paired with a good defensive awareness, he could become a beast of a workhorse blueliner pretty quickly. Great camp for him.

#62 Wood: Kyle Wood going forward = good. Kyle Wood going backward or doing a crossover = not so good. He did okay today with the start and stops, but he doesn’t have much explosiveness. Part of the problem is that his knees stay constantly bent, making him miss out on the power that could be generated with a good full leg extension push during all of his strides.  If he could just figure out that detail, he’d instantly become a much more powerful skater, but it just hasn’t clicked for him yet.

Overall Thoughts: Wood’s shot is a thing of beauty, and he’s serviceable when skating forward.  However, it’s really concerning when a defensemen struggles to skate backward as much as he does.  He’ll certainly need to continue working on it this summer and next year in the OHL.  He has the potential to become a very good defensive prospect, but his mobility needs to kick up a notch before he makes the jump to the AHL.

#49 Bleackley: Skating is Bleackley’s greatest weakness as a player, so it’s clear this camp was rough on him.  However, he asked a lot of questions and worked his rear off to try to implement the coaches’ suggestions.  His biggest problem is that instead of bending his knees, he bends his waist, giving him an unbalanced and hunched over stance.  It also keeps his head down and makes his stride cloppy and slow.  As a result, he struggles to do quick crossovers after a stop because his knees aren’t bent enough and his balance is too far forward.  He certainly has the desire to get better, but he’ll need to fix his form first.

Overall Thoughts:  Bleackley’s weakness will probably always be his skating. However, if his defensive play transfers, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.  I have a feeling that this camp was an excellent learning experience for him, even if it looked painful at times.  He made the most out of it.

#59 Lindholm: As bad as Bleackley’s day was, Lindholm’s was worse. His stride was even slower and cloppier, and he dug in too hard and wiped out the first time he tried to make a quick stop. He did improve a bit as the day went on, but balance was an issue, as was excessive shoulder movement on transitions.

Overall Thoughts: Skating is not Lindholm’s forte.  He’s still very raw and needs a lot of work across the board when it comes to agility, power, and speed.  Over the next few years, it’s going to be interesting to see his progress in these areas because right now, he just might be the worst skating prospect in the Avalanche system.

 

Blue Team:

#63 Martinsen: He was a bit slow to come out of some of the stops today, but his wide, quick, and powerful stride made up for it.  He did struggle a bit on keeping possession of the puck while turning, but he’s still a very solid skater and handled the drills with poise.

Overall Thoughts: Martinsen had one of the best development camps of the group.  He’s older and more refined than his peers, and it showed all three days.  Will this transfer to game situations or against the pros? I’m not sure, but right now, he’s certainly looking like a very smart signing for the Colorado Avalanche.

#70 Pepin: Pepin is slow. His feet are slow, his turns are slow, and his first steps are slow.  He also struggled with the puck and excessive shoulder movements today, which just made everything worse. His crossover stride was short and not very powerful, and he didn’t complete many spins when he was supposed to be twirling around the coaches at center ice.  It was a really rough day for him.

Overall Thoughts: If Lindholm isn’t the worst skater from camp, Pepin would be.  His shot was one of the strongest in the blue group, but between his slow release and slow everything else, it was hard to watch him sometimes.  Hopefully he gets a lot of work in this summer and comes to camp ready to show off his skills, because he underwhelmed during these past three days.

#61 Nantel: He was okay today.  Just like yesterday, he got lost in the crowd of Blue group.  His feet weren’t particularly fast, and his crossovers were shallow.  He also bunny hopped at least once when stopping on his left foot, and his shoulders bounced as he was transitioning between forward and backward skating.  He didn’t do anything overtly bad, but he just didn’t make much of an impression either.

Overall Thoughts: He had a good first day, but it went a bit downhill from there. He doesn’t seem to have any truly bad habits, but he does need to push his skating form along if he wants to be able to keep up with the pros.

#51 Boikov: Boikov just did Boikov things today. For those that were not there, Boikov things include passing the puck between his feet without looking on backward skating drills, sniping goalies, acting as a “that’s how you do it” reference by Tracy Tutton to the other members of his group, and just in general skating impressively well.  His stops and starts were crisp, his turns were good, and while he had some flubs with his puck handling, overall, it was still pretty great.

Overall Thoughts: There is absolutely no question that Boikov can skate. But can he defend? Can he puck handle?  How is his shot during game situations?  He’s one to keep an eye on during camp because he seems to have some serious potential, but no one quite knows yet if he can bring it together or not.

#53 Compher: Unlike yesterday, Compher did pretty well with these drills. His start was fairly explosive, and he handled the starts and stops passably well.  He pushed his pace and was confident while handling the puck, and his crossovers were deep and powerful.  He even did work he didn’t need to, adding another spin to the end of his drill before taking a shot at the goalie.  His showing wasn’t awe inspiring, but it was solid and promising.

Overall Thoughts:  He’s an NCAA player, so he won’t be at camp, which is disappointing because I would have liked to see where his play stacks up against a player like John Mitchell.  Compher’s probably never going to be a speed demon, but he’s solid and did a decent job over the past few days, especially considering how skating is probably one of the weakest parts of his game.

#58 Maheux: Another one that didn’t stand out too much was Maheux. His stride was fairly crouched over and he had some balance issues, plus his start/stops weren’t great and he lost the puck on some of his spins. There were a few good moments as well, but overall, he blended into the group.

Overall Thoughts: He’s… okay. Nothing flashy, but nothing awful either. Just… okay. If the Avs depth chart wasn’t so croweded with defensemen, he’d have a decent shot at a contract, but as it stands, I think the other defensive invite, Justin Hamonic, had a better development camp.  We’ll see what happens.

Goalies:

#60 Spencer Martin:   He wasn’t in camp today, so I unfortunately don’t have many notes on him. However, he was the best of the three goalies during days 1 and 2.  It was possible to tell that he was coming back from a recent knee injury as his side to side motions were a bit slower than they should be, but he was aggressive in net and used his low stance to his advantage.  He also did well in the skating drills and pushed himself to get better.  Good showing for him, and he’ll probably be in San Antonio to start the year.

#34 Roman Will: Of the two goalies there today, Will was probably slightly stronger in net. He still got pretty lit up, especially top shelf, but his stance is low and he drops into butterfly quickly. He read shots well and sealed the post during the sharp angle sessions, plus his athletic style allowed him to go post to post quickly.  Yesterday, he made a series of nice glove saves before letting in an absolute softy. There’s certainly some potential there, but he didn’t really wow during camp.

#35 Max Pajpach:  He also was only okay today.  He needs to work on his speed post to post and his recovery, plus he doesn’t use his stick much at all.  He struggled to get around screens and got beat low quite a few times. His sealing of the post for the sharp angle drills was good, and his higher stance makes him look huge in net.  Near the end of the goalie session this morning, he made a huge diving block out at the faceoff dot to protect Will from the entire Burgundy squad.  Both of the goalies did seem to be enjoying themselves today, and that proved to be fun to watch. Who doesn’t love some goalie bonding?