Avalanche Prospect Portfolio: AHL underway

The Prospect Portfolio has a few new sections this week. First, a video breakdown of the Avs prospect of the week. For the most part, these videos will be focusing on Avs professional prospects that are just one step away from reaching the NHL but may expand as the season goes on. On top of that, there is now also a section for the AHL that will include some of the better performing prospects from the Colorado Eagles every week.

Prospect of the Week:

Calle Rosen – D (Colorado Eagles) Acquired via the Tyson Barrie trade

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
2	1	1	2	2	-5

AHL Standouts:

Igor Shvyrev – C, round 5, pick 125, 2017

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
2	0	1	1	2	0

One of the few Avs pro prospects to pick up a point over the weekend, Igor finds himself in a bottom-six role for the Eagles to start the year but with a bit of consistent production he could quickly work himself up the list of centers. He managed to keep himself out of trouble for the most part with an even plus-minus after a weekend where the Eagles gave up 8 non-power play goals.

Nick Henry – RW, round 4, pick 94, 2017

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
2	0	1	1	2	-1

The other Avs drafted Eagle to pick up a point over the weekend, Henry finds himself in much the same situation as Shvyrev. The good news is the Eagles aren’t quite as deep with true AHL veterans on the wings which may afford Henry more playing time as the season progresses.

Shane Bowers – C, Acquired via the Matt Duchene trade

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
2	0	0	0	0	-2

Bowers failed to record a point in the Eagles first two games and even still he was one of their most consistent forwards. The polish on his game that was seen in the preseason has not faded at all as he steps into the AHL. Expect good things to flow regularly for him once the Eagles find their footing.

I had the chance to talk to Bowers after opening night for the Eagles, you can listen here:

KHL:

Nikolai Kovalenko – RW (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) round 6, pick 171, 2018

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
11	2	1	3	4	-1

Kovalenko snapped off a beautiful goal to start the week and continued to throw down six hits in Lokomotiv’s game over the weekend. Since the removal of MacTavish, he has seen an increase in minutes up to the low teens and looks to have his role secured.

Daniil Zhuravlyov – D (Ak Bars Kazan) round 5, pick 146, 2018

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
11	0	4	4	4	5

Steady as she goes for Zhuravlyov as he seems to pick up an assist every single week. He was scratched in one of the Ak Bars games this week, unclear why but the assumption is some sort of nagging injury carrying over from his limited use the week before. In the final game of the week, he was back up to his usual 16 minutes of ice time and continues to roll. He is already just one assist shy of matching his total from all of last season in the VHL.

Liiga (Finland):

Justus Annunen – G (Oulun Kärpät) round 3, pick 64, 2018

Games Played	Wins	Losses	OTW	OTL	Save %	GAA
5	3	0	2	0	95.24	1.19

Copy and paste from last week for Annunen; one game, one shutout, still undefeated. His numbers are already well into the impossible to sustain territory so things are bound to come down eventually, but if he can keep this up for any sustained length of time he may be headed to North America sooner than anticipated.

QMJHL:

Alex Beaucage – RW (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) round 3, pick 78, 2019

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
8	5	3	8	14	4

Two points for Beaucage this week as he seems to be settling into his season in Rouyn-Noranda. Five goals and point per game pace is nothing to scoff at but having gone scoreless in his last two games you would like to see him find one before it turns into a cold streak. Also, 14 penalty minutes is the most of any Avs forward prospect by a wide margin at this point. Hard to say if that is good or bad but he certainly isn’t afraid to mix it up physically.

WHL:

Luka Burzan – RW (Brandon Wheat Kings) round 6, pick 171, 2019

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	+/-
7	4	3	7	2	0

Burzan had the same stat line as Beaucage this week: one goal and one assist in three games. He saw both those points come in a victory over Bowen Byram and Trent Miner in a 3 – 0 shutout victory over Vancouver. The early part of the season is tough to gauge for Burzan as he is expected to produce more than others as this is technically his D+2 based on his eligibility. Point per game is solid but not incredible in the WHL. However, the fact that he is the only player maintaining that pace for the Wheat Kings speaks to the level of teammates that he has.