Colorado's "other guys" take center stage in Vegas

LAS VEGAS – As the Colorado Avalanche headed out to Las Vegas to take part in a six-team gathering of rookies and roster hopefuls, the spotlight was predominantly on the highly-drafted players who are thought to make up the next wave of impact players for the Avs.

At 22, Vladislav Kamenev has a track record of accomplishment more significant than just about anybody out of all six of the teams attending this weekend’s event. Martin Kaut was just drafted 16th overall by the Avalanche last June. Igor Shvyrev, while only a fifth-round selection in 2017, has produced eye-popping stat lines in Russia before heading to North America this summer.

And yet it was two undrafted players and a player drafted in the fifth round his third time through the draft process that carried the Avalanche in a furious comeback attempt in what ultimately was a 7-6 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Down 5-0 after the first period, Colorado finally got on the board just minutes into the second period when Logan O’Connor and Ty Lewis connected on their first of two goals they would produce in the frame.

“Coming into things, we had never played with each other,” O’Connor said. “It took us a period to get some chemistry under our belt but they’re good, fast players so it’s fun to play with them. It’s fun to move the puck with them. We built on the first period, a couple chances there, and I feel like we kept on improving.”

As the Avalanche continued pushing, that chemistry continued building and that line produced Colorado’s sixth and final goal of the evening.

O’Connor signed with the Avalanche over the summer after a three-year stint down the road at the University of Denver. He was set to become their captain this upcoming season but instead chose to sign with Colorado after attending their post-draft development in early July.

“It’s definitely nice to have that weight off the shoulders,” O’Connor said of the contract before dismissing it’s importance entirely. “We’re all trying to earn a spot either way.”

From O’Connor to Lewis, the undrafted kid who signed his entry-level contract with the Avalanche last fall after an impressive showing at training camp where he was one of the last cuts. Lewis then went out and dropped a 100-point season on the WHL, solidifying his status as a lovable underdog while also still being a legitimate NHL prospect.

The combination of Lewis, O’Connor and center J.C. Beaudin provided the spark the rest of the Avalanche needed as they built towards a comeback that left the home crowd unsure of what to do with their hands now that their team had stopped scoring.

“O’Connor and Beaudin are fantastic players,” Lewis said of his linemates. “They’re skilled, smart players and all of us skate extremely well. I think that speed allows us to create chances.”

O’Connor would largely agree with the assessment from Lewis, going on to add their ability in the defensive end played a key role in them figuring things out.

“They’re very fast skating players and they like to move the puck quickly,” O’Connor said. “They see the ice well and play a good defensive game. That sort of helps us spend less time in the d-zone and translate that to offense in the other end. I had a lot of fun playing with them.”

Beyond that group, Brandon Saigeon found himself in the thick of the action while centering the third line for Colorado. He was coming off a Memorial Cup run with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL and saw his stock rise enough to be worthy of a draft pick in his third go-round at the draft.

The early return from what still seems a peculiar selection was a two-goal performance that was right in Saigeon’s wheelhouse. As a player with a lot of work to do on his skating, his ability to use his frame to clear space in front of the net was paramount as he bullied his way to two rebound goals in the third period.

For Saigeon, this was his first taste of this level of action and there was certainly an adjustment period for him.

“It was pretty intense to start,” Saigeon said. “Obviously, I was hoping we’d find our legs a little earlier but the main thing is throughout the game we got better. That’s a positive. We can build off that for sure.”

As Saigeon proceeds into the unknown void with life without a contract and unlikely to spend an overage season back with Hamilton, he’s simply trying to sell the front office on him as a player.

“Just trying to make the best impression that I can,” Saigeon said when asked what his goals were for this weekend. “I’ve worked hard this summer after a long season last year so I’m just trying to make a good impression for management, coaches, and my teammates. I want to get the respect of my teammates. That’s a big thing for me.’

As Colorado’s expected stars failed to shine in the Vegas sky on Saturday night, it was a trio of underdogs who brought the Avalanche back from the dead and nearly completed a still-impressive comeback from a 5-0 deficit. Until the expected stars begin to find their legs, it’s safe to say these three have become the must-watch players the rest of this weekend.