Dennis Gilbert's embrace of the gritty side of hockey provides stability for the Colorado Eagles

“We control our own destinies.”

That’s what defenseman Dennis Gilbert said a couple of weeks ago just before the Colorado Eagles would complete their final stretch ahead of the postseason. The gritty blueliner is in his second season with the Colorado Eagles and has carved out an important role as a depth player.

Gilbert isn’t exactly new to Avalanche viewership. You may remember his fight with Gabriel Landeskog back in 2019 during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks. He would go on to have a secondary assist on Dominik Kubalik’s game-winning goal. It’s a glimpse into the player that has fit in nicely among the Eagles’ defensive corps this season.

He came to Colorado in 2020 as an additional return in the Brandon Saad trade which sent Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm to Chicago. Also in the final year of his ELC at the time, the change of scenery was ripe with opportunity to establish himself.

During his first year in Denver, Gilbert played in just three NHL games. His final NHL game for the season was marred by a fight against Keegan Kolesar on February 16th. Gilbert underwent facial surgery the following Monday and returned to play with the Colorado Eagles a month later. He would spend the remainder of the year in Loveland, earning 8 points in 17 games.

Operating on a similar timeline, Bowen Byram’s first year in Colorado was also compromised by unfortunate events at the hands of Kolesar. Proceeding a concussion in February of 2021, Kolesar’s hit on Byram in March would sideline him for the rest of the season. It was important to allow him ample room to prioritize his health and recovery.

Two players entered the 2022 season hopeful to right their course and embark on new beginnings. For Gilbert, he is on pace to have one of the most productive seasons of his professional career with 22 points in 50 games. His role on the Eagles has reached new heights as a mainstay on the penalty kill, PP2, and even wearing a letter at times.

Gilbert has appeared in 25 NHL games and has registered a fight in nearly a quarter of them, but he isn’t an enforcer – at least not by his own admission. He described part of his identity as being a player that will stick up for his teammates. His willingness to drop the gloves is a side many of us have come to know, but to his team, he brings so much more.

During preseason, Gilbert was among the defenseman competing for a roster spot including Justin Barron, Jack Johnson, and Kurtis MacDermid. Gilbert was a part of the final few reassigned to the Eagles alongside Martin Kaut, Shane Bowers, and Jayson Megna on October 8th. Justin Barron would report to the Eagles three days later as well, but their extended looks were not without note.

Where toughness is concerned, it’s difficult to qualify the impact it has on a team. Especially since some of the value is merely the threat of a physical response. For the Colorado Avalanche and Kurtis MacDermid, it’s worth a two-year contract extension. While two very different players, the value Gilbert brings to the lineup extends beyond his physicality – though it’s certainly not absent.

In November, Gilbert fought Matt Bouldens in a heavy-hitting Henderson series and missed the next 13 games. He would require surgery on his hand. After returning, Gilbert arrived at the rink with generously taped-up fingers, but this did not stop him from fighting again in February.

“It’s definitely something I probably shouldn’t have done that soon after the surgery,” Gilbert admitted. “But it happens in the heat of the moment and I think it was a hit on [Ryan] Wagner, so I went after the guy and gave him a shot and he wanted to go. Woody [Brent Woodside, Eagles trainer] was pretty mad at me though, [but] I came out of there alive so it was all right.”

Gilbert’s inclination to defend his teammates stemmed from his first year in Rockford.

“We had a smaller, mainly European team,” he explained. “When a guy’s getting taken advantage of, it bothers me, so that’s how [it started]. As the years have gone on, I’ve had to do it less and less because there are more guys around me willing to do it.”

For the Eagles, the need for an enforcer is largely unnecessary because sticking up for one another is done by the community. According to Gilbert, “We have a lot of guys that are willing to do that stuff. It’s a culture thing for our team, and it speaks a lot to the culture of our team that we’re all willing to do that for each other.”

Also ingrained in the process is preparedness to address the physical demands of each series game-by-game.

“You’re always aware of the guys on the team [like that] from the pre-scout,” Gilbert said.  “But at the same time, we have a belief that we can go toe-to-toe in that department. If the game wants to go that style we can play an old school game, but we also have a lot of speed and talent and can get the play going fast too.”

“He’s a very unique player because he can play wherever,” head coach, Greg Cronin, said of Gilbert.

“He’s got a high hockey IQ which allows him to be productive in all three zones,” he added. “When he’s playing really well, he’s aggressive in all three zones: he’s moving the puck quickly on the breakout and getting up into the play. That’s mirrored in the neutral zone and offensively he’ll get involved in the cycles. You’ll see him moving in and out of the offensive zone from the blue line down. The last part of that aggressiveness is [that] he’s physical: he finishes his checks, blocks shots and does all those blue-collar things that create visibility throughout the game.”

Gilbert acknowledged his attention to the little details.

“Honestly I try to be a good teammate first and foremost [by bringing] the energy to practice and to the locker room. [I am] someone who likes to have fun and keep the mood light [while also] bringing energy.”

“When it’s the third day of practice in February and everybody’s tired and not really that excited to be there, [I] start telling jokes, get the guys laughing and everyone having a good time and bringing energy that way,” he added.

The energy Gilbert adds to the lineup is an asset that earned him the “A” at points this season, but it was a combination of all of his skills that earned him another special opportunity.

On March 31st, it was announced that Byram would make his return to hockey after facing another setback earlier this season. Bowen Byram and Dennis Gilberts’ timelines would exist together again – this time for good reason.  Byram reported to the Colorado Eagles for a conditioning stint against the Ontario Reign in California on April 1st.

He had been quietly practicing with the Eagles while the Avs were on the road, so Gilbert was not surprised by the announcement. Instead, he was glad to see someone he has come to know as a friend.

“I got to know him pretty well last year,” Gilbert said.” We were [together on] taxi squad, the Black Aces group for the playoffs, and then this year at training camp. He’s an awesome kid. Unfortunately, he’s gone through some stuff off the ice, but he’s happy, and back better than ever, [and] feeling well.”

The pairings for the series were decided with simple reasoning.

“[Gilbert] is good with the puck, he’s good at handling it, and the other guys all lined up the lefty-righty, we thought that he’d be a good guy to put on there on his off-side,” Cronin explained.

Gilbert made a point to reach out to Byram personally ahead of the games.

“I told him before the weekend that we were going to be together,” Gilbert said. “We have a good friendship and I said, ‘Play your game, I got your back. [I’ll] support the puck with you, and let’s have some fun.’”

The series was not without incident. Byram did not shy from contact, but a run-in involving the Reign’s Martin Frk stood out because of the skirmish that followed. The community-effort Gilbert described was on full display as Jean-Luc Foudy, Jayson Megna, Martin Kaut, and Gilbert reacted to the extracurriculars with displeasure.

Ultimately, Gilbert and Byram have reached a momentous point in their respective seasons. Bowen Byram sits atop the Western Conference with a Colorado Avalanche team gearing up for a playoff run. As Devon Toews takes rest, Byram has had an opportunity to shake off the rust on PP2 and growing confidence to generate scoring chances again. The instinct is there, and it’s just a matter of time

The challenges ahead for the Eagles may be even steeper, but the excitement is building. Dennis Gilbert has emerged as the very definition of a glue guy and will finish their remaining games this weekend with lofty home-ice ambitions.

It’s exactly like Gilbert said, “We control our own destinies.”