It might come as a shock to many Avalanche fans, but there had been whispers for a few days now that it could happen: Tyson Jost, the Avs’ first-round pick from 2016, who started the season as the team’s second-line center, has been demoted to the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.
Along with Jost, the Avs reassigned defenseman Ryan Graves to the Eagles.
Jost, 20, had six goals and 15 points in his first 43 games for the Avs, with a minus-7. His ice time has steadily gone down of late, with just a combined 15 minutes the last two games in Toronto and Ottawa as a fourth-liner.
The Avs are hoping he can get some confidence back in his game at the AHL level, then maybe come back later in the season to be a regular contributor. The good news for Jost remains that he’s still just 20. He has 114 games of NHL experience, but might have rushed it out of college, after playing just one year at North Dakota.
He has been used as a center and left wing, but center is his natural position.
There was no immediate word on any call-ups from the Eagles to take Jost’s spot.
Graves played well for the Avs in his first NHL stint, but with the return of Patrik Nemeth to the lineup, the Avs would have carried eight defenseman and they want Graves to keep developing with the Eagles.
More on the Jost story after practice Friday.
0 Comments (14 conversations)
gtq
I would have kept Graves in the lineup over Nemeth and Barberio.
Adrian Dater
AuthorYou’re not the first person who’s told me that about Graves.
Steve -B
Yes but Nemeth is our icing the puck king, and we can’t ever not have one of those. lol
Jap18
I agree, he showed smart plays with the puck. He never used his size as an advantage but neither did Mikko until this year and the end of last. But the smart plays with the puck were enough for me to trust him more than barbs and Nemeth. Do anyone else notice that Varly and Barbs are always having miscommunications with the puck behind their own net?
IdAvsFan
Jost is more that 4ht line material and needs to regain his confidence – would have rather seen Nemeth sent down than Graves, even if it means losing him on the waiver wire
MattYouens
As hard as this could be for a 20-year-old… it could prove to be the perfect move. I wish Tyson all the best with more ice time!
bjjones05
My thoughts exactly. Like AD said, I think he rushed it coming out of UND after only 1 year. Hopefully this will be the best thing for him and the team moving forward.
Rich
Adrian, Any thought of a potential trade brewing before the deadline? This team is not going to make the playoffs. I say Sakic should start to make some moves by getting rid of the mediocre talent, Barbs, Nemeth, Dries, Bourque, Ghetto…
faydout
Not sure they’d have enough value to make it worth blowing up the NHL and AHL rosters.
bhintze
Agreed. In return for the Avs mediocre talent, we would probably only get guys that have failed to prove their value in other organizations. If the Avs chemistry was garbage, this might make sense, but I don’t get the impression (from our intrepid BSNDenver reporters) that the locker room is full of guys that don’t like playing together.
Nels
I like this. He should have spent last year in college, and this year in the AHL.
StormSlab
Bingo. Watched some NoDak games when he was there and he flashed great skill, but even my untrained eye and fanboy nature could tell that he was NOT ready. This will be great for him if he handles it appropriately. Tougher with NCAA players since you have to sign them early or you lose them…
NoMoreRats
I don’t question that this is a good idea in theory but I really don’t understand the timing. Jost had 4 points (2G, 2A) in the four games before Montreal. Then he played pretty well in that game winning both faceoffs he took and having 3 SOG’s. He didn’t hit the scoresheet but neither did anyone else. Then for some reason he was singled out and sent to the 4th line where he played around 8 minutes against Toronto and Ottawa and then gets sent down. He has more points in January than Kerfoot or Compher, the fifth highest scoring forward on the team behind the big boys and Carl during the month so far. Why do they finally do this now instead of December when he had 1 point in 15 games?
Seems kind of like a scapegoat to send a message to the rest of the team. A pre-planned scapegoat when they do it after demoting him to the 4th right after he finally started scoring again. Weird. He does need to be harder on the puck, I’m sure that will be the main point of concentration in Loveland. I honestly think his ‘slowness’ is a result thinking too much out there. He is not a slow skater.
Chris DeMott
Perhaps the team is being a bit opportunistic with the timing. However, It stills needs to be done. Tyson, seems like he needs to know he paid his dues and belongs in this league. He needs to own his space more and play aggressively all the time. The American League will provide him a little more time and space as well as the necessary minutes to play with his head up more and learn how his skill set translates better. Maybe when he’s finally old enough to legally attend a BSN Watch party, we’ll see his potential bear fruit.
knhl72
This seems to be a common situation for younger players, perhaps a little more with the former college players specifically. The NCAA game is very different than the NHL game. Even Hobey Baker nominees and winners can get sent down to get their confidence back up. I wonder if there’s any difference with defensive vs. offensive players? Hm…? Even Troy Terry was sent down to the Gulls in San Diego, and he’s been tearing it up ever since. His next move back to the Ducks will be his LAST move from the Gulls, at least that’s the goal! Keep on keepin’ on, boys!
pixelrebirth
I feel like Jost just never really got over the nerves of playing in the NHL. Most new players have nerves for a chunk of games but I feel like those nerves didn’t let up with him. Bednar rubberbanding him to the 4th line is probably not good either for what seems to be fragile confidence in Jost. Long overdue move to the AHL in my opinion. He might have been better off playing the season there IMO. Hopefully, the AHL demotion is not just a quick stint and he is more long term there this year, he needs it if we want him to be a 2C in the NHL.
ljp78
In the off season, instead of of gambling on high priced UFA’s, the Avs gambled that their up and comers would take a step forward. It’s the right gamble imo, though a conservative one. This is what happens though when those gambles don’t pay off; you might not be left with an NHL player. If anything, this seems to be opening a door for Carl to take the 2C position. I don’t think Tyson Jost is a top six player, regardless. And if he’s a 3 or 4C, then he’d better watch out, because Kamenev will come back, and Bowers is coming.
JDC15
I agree with everything you said. However with the uber youth of the league and ultra young super stars I think it gets lost that guys are still physically maturing at this age, which is scary for guys like MacK and Mikko, and that Jost can still mature into a 2nd line guy. Let’s hope that is the case here.
jpwheels
Nice post.
Your thoughts highlight the tough spot a GM, management, scouts, etc… are in.
Earlier this season when the 922996 line was laying waste to all comers every time they stepped on the ice, I was frustrated that Sakic hadn’t gone out and got this team some additional proven scoring help…even though it didn’t look like at the time it was needed.
In my mind, waiting on the youngsters to mature into the players everyone thinks and hopes they will be is a HUGE gamble. The waiting strategy is betting on potential. As you pointed out, players sometimes never get there. And even if the studs in the pipeline do reach their potential and do turn into the the players they’re projected to be, the guys that are producing now might not be as dangerous.
Like I said — tough spot for Joe & others.
jpwheels
I think it’s simply that he isn’t producing like they need and think he can along with not showing improvement either.
And I’d guess it’s felt that he might progress more by playing bigger minutes with less pressure.
Markk
I think Jost COULD be a top-6, but some time in the AHL is exactly what he needs. Just look at what it did for Rantanen!
Eve
What is the story.on Timmons now? Is he still in Denver?
Pucklehead
Long overdue…
Pucklehead
Time to send grubauer down and bring Francouz up…
Johnny M
I wonder if this is a precursor to some trade action. I feel like for the right price, a trade and sign for Wayne Simmonds could be a nice move for grit and some scoring. As long as it was a reasonable price, due to age, style of play etc. He’s the type of player the avs would do well to add.
DoubleD
Yup, so many in agreement here … they rushed Jost. He could have used another year at UND (amazing program) just the way Makar is doing so well in a second season at UMASS. Jost could have used a season in the AHL the same way Mikko did, but they insisted that he play in the NHL at 19. Note they aren’t rushing Kaut having learned their lesson. So it’s a reclamation project but it’s really management’s fault. I still think he is a key piece in the Long term. But wow … a re programmed Jost, Kamenev, Bowers, Kaut, Greer, Lewis, Hughes/Kakko, and who knows who else … this will be a hard team to make next year.