Colorado Avalanche development camp recap

With the Colorado Avalanche development camp wrapping up yesterday, it was an encouraging week as the Avs continue to build up their prospect pipeline in a manner that hasn’t been done since the team moved to Denver in 1995. If you haven’t read J.D. Killian’s detailed breakdown of the first two days, please do so here.

All week we were asked for player observations and what we thought of the kids throughout the week. Instead of getting into the minutiae of every drill and trying to figure out what was worthwhile information and what wasn’t, I’m simply going to break down my thoughts on each of the players I noticed and how they fared at the camp. It must be noted that a development camp such as this is not designed for every player to stand out as they worked on very specific things and even the 3-on-3 challenge at the end of the camp was more shinny than straight up hockey. That said, there was still plenty to glean about the organization’s future players.

Goaltenders

Spencer Martin – As the oldest goaltender who has worked with these coaches before, it was no surprise to see he was by far the most polished of the group. He still flashes some maddening inconsistencies but overall this is the heir apparent to the Avalanche goaltender throne. He’s a good-sized goaltender with good athleticism and feel for the position. Can’t help but be excited for him in San Antonio this season.

Chase Marchand – The first thing you notice about Marchand when standing next to Martin and Werner is his lack of size. He gives up several inches and more than 20 pounds to both guys and that lack of size really stands out. That said, Marchand was my favorite goalie this week because of his ability to receive coaching and immediately incorporate it into what he’s doing. He stood out as a guy who pushed himself to get every single ounce out of this camp and make himself better. I’d like to see him get a pro contract and fill the AHL third goalie/ECHL starter role that’s currently missing.

Adam Werner – The guy everyone was really curious to see after the team selected him in the fifth round a few weeks ago, Werner lived up to his “big and athletic” billing. He’s also extremely raw, as he was the guy with the biggest dips in performance over the course of the camp. When the puck actually dropped in the 3-on-3 challenge, Werner struggled a bit and was quick to retreat deep into his crease and rely on his size. There’s lots of work to do here but it was an encouraging first look.

Defense

Anton Lindholm – Lindholm is a guy who looked better on his skates than last year when he was here for the same development camp. I liked the improvements I saw and thought he was showing well until the skating stopped and the battle drills and actual play started. That’s when Lindholm really began to excel in my eyes as he was the most consistent defenseman in shutting down opposing forwards. In the 3-on-3, Lindholm made several aggressive and physical plays that shut down oncoming rushes and he forced the action the other direction. I came away impressed and very encouraged by what I saw.

Nicolas Meloche – He was one of my favorites at this camp last year and he’s still a good skater. It was nice to see him get a small chance to show what he can do because these camps aren’t set up for guys like him to really stand out but he wasted little time making an impact in 3-on-3, making a brilliant read and intercepting a pass that led to a breakaway for him right off the bat. He also flashed his willingness to play a heavy game as he punished anyone who went behind his net or into the corners. He’s still a few years off but his development is coming along very nicely.

Will Butcher – For a smaller guy, I’ve never been impressed with his skating. It’s solid but doesn’t stand out, in the same way, a guy like Boikov does, who simply dominated the drill portion of the week. Butcher’s lack of size really stands out in this group but he also played a mature, controlled game in the 3-on-3 and in battle drills. He’s not interested in engaging physically but he uses his stick to maximum effect and his positioning remains solid.

Sergei Boikov – He’s been the darling of this camp two years in a row now and for good reason. He’s a great skater who stands out in a week full of skating. When it came time to get into the tougher drills and actual play, Boikov stopped standing out quite as much and didn’t really have much of an impact. He’s a very defensive-minded defenseman, which is curious given his skill set, but he definitely makes it work for him. I’d like to see him be a bit more aggressive in the neutral zone as he freely gave up his blue line on multiple occasions in 3-on-3 that allowed the opposition to generate a scoring chance from the open space he left. He’s not afraid to get physical, though it’s clearly not part of his standard approach, as he’d much rather look to poke check the puck away with ease.

Josh Anderson – There isn’t much to say here. He was set up for “failure” here, recently coming off surgery to fix his broken vertebrae, and was placed in the best-skating group of the week. His 6’3″ doesn’t stand out a lot but his 220 pounds certainly does because the extra weight is all in his hips and legs. His lower body strength is excellent as he showed on multiple occasions that he can generate a lot of power on his slap shot. It’ll be more telling to see him in training camp when he can fully participate (he sat out 3-on-3 and I didn’t see him engage in battle drills) instead of the nerfed version we saw here.

Nathan Clurman – The big winner of development camp, I think, is Clurman. Avs observers had very little idea of what to expect and almost all of us came away with the same impression – he’s the real deal. He’s still very much 18 and completely raw but there isn’t a single tool he didn’t display throughout the week. He’s a strong skater with puck-moving skills, an aggressive mentality, and a solid hockey IQ. He consistently made good decisions, won his battles, and did well throughout. There were some mishaps along the way but given this kid was a sixth-round pick a few weeks ago, his showing was nothing short of tantalizing.

Forwards

J.T. Compher – He looked good in the skating portion of camp, showing he took last year’s camp seriously and worked hard to improve that part of his game. Where Compher really came alive and separated was the 3-on-3 play. It’s very obvious he was the best hockey player at the camp as soon as it began. He simply played the game at a different speed than the other guys on the ice and basically every shift drove home that point. He’s not an overwhelming talent, just simply more polished and advanced than anyone else at the camp. He’s ready to legitimately compete for the NHL roster right now. A few months in the AHL certainly wouldn’t hurt his development but it’s hard for me to envision Compher having a healthy season and not spending time in Denver.

Julien Nantel – Outside of Clurman, Nantel was probably my favorite player to watch. He’s a very strong skater who is strong on his edges and finds a way to get whatever job he’s given done. In the tougher parts of camp, especially the 3-on-3, he came alive and showed a ton of promise. He’s good with the puck but more than anything his hockey IQ really showed well. He’s not a guy who gets out of position or makes poor decisions…ever. I’m not sure where his upside really is but I’m excited to watch him work his way up the San Antonio lineup. Given all that I’ve seen of him throughout his career, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t at least get a look in the NHL someday.

A.J. Greer – The one thing that everyone who was at camp consistently talked about all week was Greer’s intensity. His compete level is through the roof. He was constantly ready to get after it and will skate through brick walls to ensure he wins. He’s all heart, passion, and bundles of angry energy. He’s got some skill, too, as he looked good in the 3-on-3 portions and he’s a true power forward in every sense of the word. He constantly looks to drive the net and create absolute chaos once he’s there. If he ultimately ends up in the AHL, which appears to be the plan, he’s going to be very interesting to watch. He’s still very raw but you can’t help but love the attitude.

J.C. Beaudin – Given the majority of the week is a skating camp, which isn’t the strongest part of Beaudin’s game, it’s no surprise he didn’t really jump out until the weekend session. He’s a creative playmaker who also happens to have a lightning quick release that creates a deadly combination of skills. He’s a multi-faceted player who didn’t get to show off all that makes him so fun to watch on a regular basis so we’ll have to wait for training camp to get the full Beaudin experience.

Tyson Jost – He’s talented, that’s for sure. His skating, hands, creativity, and work ethic were all on full display throughout the week. He’s definitely 5’11”, though, so it’ll be interesting to see how he develops the all-around game he’s so well known for as a player on the small side. There was nothing that he showed this weekend that should temper excitement about him moving forward but he’s definitely a few years off. He was consistently a threat in 3-on-3 but the mature defenders he was facing were able to find ways to slow him down throughout. He’s THE guy to watch, obviously, moving forward.

Travis Barron – This was an interesting one for me. I didn’t notice him a lot in skating drills. He was out there but didn’t ever really separate himself. Then the battle drills and 3-on-3 started. Barron was billed on draft day as a guy with limited offensive upside who has strong defensive forward qualities. There wasn’t a ton of the defense on display here but he worked with Jost in the 3-on-3 very nicely and the two found good chemistry right away. There wasn’t anything particular that stood out for Barron but he was consistently making smart decisions and putting himself and his line in good situations. Compared to last year’s seventh round selection, Gustav Olhaver (who I didn’t notice much at all this week), this is a selection feels like it could produce some positive results down the road.

Wrap

That does it for me from this year’s development camp. There were a handful of players I didn’t mention but it’s mostly because they didn’t stand out in any significant way. Of the invites, Filip Karlsson was the one I noticed the most but it was only during skating drills. I don’t remember noticing him at all during the tougher portions of camp that really separate players in my eyes. Overall, it was a very encouraging week of watching Avalanche prospects and gives me hope that this year’s training camp will have the most competitive and talented prospect pool in recent Avalanche history.