Avalanche Prospect Portfolio: Freshman findings

As sample sizes start to become a lot more indicative of play the Avs first-year players, be it pro, NCAA, or otherwise have really started to shine.

Prospect of the Week:

Adam Werner – G (Colorado Avalanche) round 5, pick 131, 2016

Werner is the first true prospect to play an NHL game this season earning him Prospect of the Week honors for the second time. Coming in to replace an injured Francouz he didn’t just fill in he excelled. Leading the Avs to victory by posting a 40 save shutout* in his first-ever appearance. While one game may not be a good gauge of future performance it has marked a moment in Avs history and will stand as what can happen when prospects get an opportunity.

Pro Standouts:

Shane Bowers – C (Colorado Eagles) Matt Duchene trade piece

Bowers notched his first professional goal this week and has started to find a bit of offensive game at that level. Like most Avs pro prospects the slow start to the season is starting to fade away and Bowers is quickly maneuvering himself toward the top of the call-up list.

Logan O’Connor – RW (Colorado Eagles) Undrafted college signing

While a bit on the older side O’Connor can still reasonably be considered a prospect and has been one of the few consistent producers for the Eagles including a three-point game this week. That was enough to earn him a callup to the Avs even if it was just a single game sitting in the press box. Stylistically O’Connor’s high octane and speed skating ability mesh well with the team the Avs are trying to be but it remains to be seen if a real opportunity will present itself at the NHL level.

KHL:

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

Lokomotiv played just a single game this week and there isn’t much new to report on Kovalenko. He is steady as ever with his production a touch on the low side.

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

Zhuravlyov participated in the Four Nation’s tournament as part of the Russian U20 team this week recording 2 assists in 3 games for the squad. He looks to be a key defender for that team when the WJC’s roll around in December.

Liiga (Finland):

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

Karpat has had the week off meaning nothing new with Annunen but at this point, the sample size is large enough that it’s clear Annunen’s situation is about as good as it could be.

NCAA:

Nate Clurman – D (Notre Dame) round 6, pick 161, 2016

Clurman remains a steady defensive stalwart on an undefeated Notre Dame team. He continues to drip in assists here and there which is nice to see, a modern defensive D has to be able to distribute the puck and so far Clurman has been capable in that regard.

Drew Helleson – D (Boston College) round 2, pick 47, 2019

It was breakout weekend for BC as they took it to UCONN in both games over the weekend. Helleson flashed a bit of the offensive distribution he needs to have, picking up assists in both games. He remains particularly smooth on the back end, he may become one of those guys you don’t notice a ton but in a good way.

Nicky Leivermann – D (Notre Dame) round 7, pick 187, 2017

After finally breaking through offensively last week Leivermann played with much more confidence over the weekend. It didn’t show up in the points column but he had seven shots across the two games and was a positive impact player on the ice. He seems to have been given a little more freedom and he needs that.

Cam Morrison – LW (Notre Dame) round 2, pick 40, 2016

As one of the senior leaders at Notre Dame, this was probably Morrison’s least effective weekend so far and even so, he managed to pick up an assist. The situation that is quickly being realized here is that he has been surpassed by the younger talent in this system and it continues to not be something you can glean a lot from.

Alex Newhook – C (Boston College) round 1, pick 16, 2019

Newhook fans can breathe a sigh of relief. BC moved him back to center for this weekend and he immediately looked more comfortable. Playing out of the C position he excels at finding soft spots in the d presenting himself as an option for his teammates as well as reading the play and distributing. The reality is he is still a two-year college player but that raw talent did come through this week.

Sampo Ranta – LW (Minnesota) round 3, pick 78, 2018

After a lull at the end of October, November has been all systems go for Ranta. His engagement offensively has come from assists, picking up three this weekend but for him, it doesn’t matter how the production is coming as long as it’s there. I would like so see him shoot more though as he only had a single shot in the last two games.

Denis Smirnov – LW (Penn State) round 6, pick 156, 2017

Smirnov notched a goal this weekend but as has been the standard this year his points only seem to come in big wins for Penn State. He remains on this list almost entirely for completionist reasons if I’m being honest.

Matthew Stienburg – C (Cornell) round 3, pick 63, 2019

The late start freshman notched the first point of his collegiate career on an assist to role model Morgan Barron. The good news is his offensive involvement has consistently moved in the right direction as he settles into his new team. The bad news is the skill level hasn’t flashed enough to get excited about.

Tyler Weiss – LW (Nebraska Omaha) round 4, pick 109, 2018

Weiss finally showed a bit more consistency in his ability to distribute the puck, picking up an assist in both UNO games over the weekend. His offensive involvement has been solid and is regularly one of the most active UNO players in the offensive zone but the production has to stick over a long stretch before it’s something to be taken seriously.

QMJHL:

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

I can now say with confidence Beaucage’s offensive ability is beyond that of the QMJHL level. His shot and puck poise are simply too advanced for his peers to handle. This is great but it’s time to transition and start looking more closely at his weakness such as skating a defensive ability to see if those can make steps forward.

WHL:

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

Burzan has found the offensive consistency he has been looking for in November picking up four points in four games this week. Brandon continues to be a swingy team making it hard to judge. Getting out of there and put into a situation with a better quality of teammates on a night to night basis would likely do him so good and allow for a better read.

Bowen Byram – D (Vancouver Giants) round 1, pick 4, 2019