Tyson Jost remains confident despite undefined role

The Colorado Avalanche returned to practice Saturday afternoon after their thrilling 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not present on the ice for the session was overtime hero J.T. Compher, who was looked at after the game and then held out of practice for further evaluation for what head coach Jared Bednar described as an upper-body injury.

Compher’s status for tomorrow’s game against the New York Islanders remains unclear but he was seen walking around the facility with no visible injury. The team will decide tomorrow morning whether or not they will slot in recently recalled defenseman Andrei Mironov as once again roll out their seven defensemen alignment.

Today’s practice session was predominantly skill work as players focused on individual aspects of their game they were looking to work on. Two players who have taken a shine to working together are forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Jost, the former blossoming into a true superstar and the latter still finding his legs in his first full NHL season.

“Me and [MacKinnon] go out early every day and work on little skills,” Jost said. “Getting our shots off a little quicker, changing the angle on pucks, obviously in practice I’m working on moving my feet and keeping my feet moving throughout the whole game. It’s something I’m trying to work on in games and I’m focused on that, just moving my feet all the time, playing below the dots and making the defenders defend me.”

The mentorship with MacKinnon couldn’t have come at a better time for Jost as MacKinnon seems to have broken through the proverbial ceiling and found the extra gear many have been waiting for from him since his electric rookie season in 2013-14.

“Me and him have created a pretty good friendship, too,” Jost said with a broad smile. “It’s nice to have someone who is such a great player and a great guy, too. We’re always looking for little things to get better with and we’re always talking about hockey. It’s fun when you have someone like that who is just as passionate about the game as you are. When we’re always out there early together working on stuff, just trying to get better, it’s definitely fun for sure. It’s awesome to have someone like that to look up to.”

As the tenth overall pick in 2016 and coming off an extremely productive freshman season at North Dakota last year, Jost entered the year as the organization’s top forward prospect and much hype surrounded the 19-year-old forward. It’s been a slower process this year than expected by many as injuries early on hampered him and he’s just now finding a comfort level.

“I definitely think I’m still developing,” Jost told BSN Denver. “I don’t think I’ve taken a step back in my development. It’s been a different year with injuries and stuff but I’m not focused on that anymore. I’m just trying to push forward and focusing on getting better each day.”

Noted for his maturity when he was drafted, Jost has lived up to that billing as he’s worked his way through the unexpected this year. As of now, he’s playing on the fourth line and is 11th among current Avalanche forwards in average time-on-ice per game with just 12:36.

“It’s different but it’s not something I complain about,” Jost admitted. “I just have to work hard every day and keep trying to get better and better and improve. Yeah, I’m in that position but I’ve just got to do everything I can to keep playing well and helping the team win.”

As his level of play continues to fluctuate from night to night, Jost is taking a level-headed approach to the situation as he realizes he’s still finding himself against the top competition the world has to offer.

“You’ve got to keep an even keel,” Jost strongly stated. “It’s different. You don’t really go through these swings in college and juniors, it’s definitely a different game. There’s ups and downs. I just try to keep an even keel. I’m very hard on myself, I always want the best. I expect nothing but the best from myself so I’m always pushing to be better. Somedays I can be a little too hard on myself so I just try to keep that even keel. Regardless, I come to the rink every day with a smile on my face because I love what I do. This is my passion. That definitely helps with confidence in your daily life and everything.”

As he keeps an even keel, Jost needs to avoid the lack of confidence that can come so easily to players who are accustomed to being on top of the food chain and find them fighting for shifts for the first time in their lives.

“Confidence is something you need to have in this league,” Jost said. “I try not to let it affect me. I just come to the rink with a smile on my face. I play in the National Hockey League and it’s a dream come true. Obviously, I want to be out there trying to help the team win but it’s something I’ve got to keep working on every day. I’ll get there one step at a time. Respect the process.”

Instructions from Bednar and the coaching staff have simplified their goals for Jost, asking him to reduce the variance in his game and he’ll begin to see the minutes as a reward.

“Just playing consistent, playing my game,” Jost says of the coaching staff’s direction. “Doing what I did in junior and college, that’s what I have to bring here. Moving my feet, playing consistent and the rest will take care of itself.”