Conor Timmins is healthy and ready to go

Conor Timmins hasn’t played in a competitive hockey game since May 11, 2018. That night was Game 5 of the OHL Finals and as a member of the Soo Greyhound, the defenseman got rocked just inside the blueline by Riley Stillman.

Timmins ultimately returned to the game, raising questions about coach Drew Bannister and his staff’s handling of the situation when Timmins missed Game 6 and has failed to appear in a game since.

The entire incident has given Avalanche fans flashbacks of Joey Hishon, the former first-round selection who suffered a concussion in the OHL Playoffs, missed multiple years, and was never the same player when he finally got healthy enough to play again.

Timmins was one of the ‘rewards’ for Colorado’s unbelievable futility in 2016-17 as they had the top selection in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft. They used it on Timmins, who went on to have an exceptional season after being drafted as he helped Team Canada to a gold medal in the World Junior Championships and was named one of the team’s three best players alongside fellow Avalanche draftee and teammate Cale Makar.

The future couldn’t have been brighter for those two and the Avalanche organization until Stillman put Timmins in a permanent state of daze. There were multiple close calls for him potentially returning last year but Colorado and Timmins ultimately agreed the best path forward was the most cautious one and they held him out of games despite him regularly practicing both with the Avalanche and the Colorado Eagles.

Timmins did participate in Colorado’s post-draft development camp and got into the three versus three game on the final day of the camp. Despite that, he still wasn’t completely medically cleared by the team for full hockey activities yet.

That has now changed.

“I’m cleared to play this weekend,” Timmins said. “Obviously, being out this long, we’re going to take things cautiously, see how things go. You never know, something could happen but we’re pretty confident so we’re going to take it as it comes.”

With the medical green light, Timmins is expected to play tomorrow afternoon in Colorado’s first game of this year’s Rookie Faceoff in Anaheim. The first game will be against the Vegas Golden Knights but all eyes will be on how Timmins handles the first real hockey contact he takes since that fateful night in May 2018.

“It will definitely be a big deal for me not having played in a year and a half,” he said. “At the same time, I just want to kind of focus on the hockey aspect of it and play my game, keep things simple and I think I’ll be fine out there.”

Now that he’s been given the green light, Timmins is focusing more on what’s in front of him versus what he hopes is now a permanent part of his past.

“It’s really exciting,” Timmins said as a broad smile spread across his face. “I’ve been waiting for this since I got injured. You really miss the competitive aspect of the game. Even going through practice, it’s not really the same. I’m really looking forward to getting out there.”

The Avalanche organization wanted to be heavily involved in Timmins’ summer plans as he regularly came back to Denver to train with Avalanche strength and conditioning coach Casey Bond.

“I feel really good. I came out [to Denver] for a couple weeks every month so I could train with [Bond] upstairs,” Timmins said. “That was really helpful for me and training back home I felt really good. I feel ready to go.”

Part of the intrigue of the Timmins story heading into the Rookie Faceoff is also who Timmins is likely to be partnered with this weekend – fourth overall pick Bowen Byram.

The two represent the only two meaningful defense prospects the Avalanche are sending this weekend so naturally, they are expected to play together and expectations are high for both.

“I’m hoping to play with [Byram] a bit,” Timmins said. “I think we have a lot of really good D here so to play with anyone would be good. I’m looking forward to playing with all these guys.”

When asked how his new partner looks after the only day of Rookie Camp concluded, Timmins smiled again.

“[Byram] looks really calm out there,” he said. “You can’t tell

his age. He’s really poised with the puck, really good skill. I haven’t seen him in game action but he looks really good. I’m excited to get out there with him.”

The time away from the game helped give Timmins new perspective as he spent the majority of his time watching games with teammates and/or members of the Colorado front office.

“When you take a year and a half off, you have to do what you can to stay current, stay relevant within the game,” Timmins said. “I tried to take in as much as I could. Being around the NHL guys, being around Cro and the AHL guys really helped me out. I feel like I have a really good handle on the game right now.”

This weekend will be a great opportunity for Timmins to begin building his case for making his NHL debut this upcoming season. If he’s truly healthy and can get back to the form he showed pre-injury, Timmins could be an x-factor in pushing Colorado’s NHL defense from good to great.

CAMP OBSERVATIONS

• For my money, Timmins was Colorado’s best overall player on the ice during the 90-minute session. He was smooth, his skating looked improved, and he was firing bullet passes to teammates and even added a couple of well-placed shots past both goaltenders.
• The other player who really stood out to me was Martin Kaut. He looks physically matured from a year ago and really carried a more aggressive mentality than we saw a lot of last year. He probably doesn’t have a realistic shot to make the NHL team out of camp but don’t tell him that. He looks like a man on a mission.
• Bowen Byram certainly didn’t stand out on the only day of Rookie Camp. He’s a smooth skater and he really understands how to defend but I want to see a little more dominance from a top-five selection. I think he’ll show better in games than practices.
• The other first round selection in attendance was Shane Bowers. So much of what makes his game enticing will not flash in settings like these drills but I’m looking forward to seeing what he puts on the ice during real games this year. His cerebral approach will appeal mightily to both Jared Bednar and Greg Cronin.
• I don’t know anything about goaltending but I’m excited for all of Miska/Miner/Werner to see action this weekend. Colorado is in a strange spot at the position in its prospect pipeline and could use an unexpected turn for the better.
• In the past, there would usually only be a small group of players with intriguing skills to keep an eye on at these kinds of camps but this year there are a bunch of intriguing talents beyond the top guys. Sasha Mutala’s relentless work ethic won’t standout at camp but should shine during games this weekend.
• Brandon Saigeon continues to be able to show off a pretty nice shot. The Avs have lacked quality shooters in their system for a long time but Saigeon, Nick Henry, and Alex Beaucage all stand out as guys not drafted in the first two rounds who can really wire pucks.
• I’ll be out in Anaheim for all the action this weekend and you can expect more stories, videos, and podcasts from the rink. If you’re there, say hi!