Shane Bowers returns from injury fully healthy and ready to finish what he's started

On November 5th, 2017, Matt Duchene was pulled mid-game in what would become a three-way trade wherein the Avalanche acquired Shane Bowers’ rights.

Other notable acquisitions in this trade included: Bo Byram, Sam Girard, and Justus Annunen.

Colorado continues to cash in on the dividends of this moment four years later in prospects whose value is still to be determined.

Elusive, deceptive, dangerous on the rush – these are just a few ways Colorado Avalanche prospect Shane Bowers has been described early in his career. In a different sense of the word, the status of this first-round pick was elusive early into this season.

Bowers played just one game this season on October 27th before an upper-body injury rendered him unable to play for several weeks while he healed. Bowers returned to play almost two months later, scoring his first goal of the season in his first game back on December 15th.

The Colorado Eagles most recent series against an evenly matched Iowa Wild team brought out flashes of the Bowers we know. After a difficult overtime loss in the first game, Bowers energized the Eagles in game two with two assists.

Bowers, aggressive on the forecheck, created an Iowa turnover and took off up the ice in a 2-on-1, feeding a pass to Dylan Sikura who easily found the back of the net.

It’s a speed that doesn’t surprise many who’ve seen Bowers on the rush. When you see “15” driving up the ice, it’s already too late. Getting to this point in the season wasn’t completely seamless, however.

Now with eight games under his belt, Bowers has three points in the season, and he’s just getting started.

“I’m feeling fully healthy now. The last couple of months are obviously frustrating being injured. Everyone wants to play,” Bowers admitted. “[When] you have an injury that takes a little longer than normal it sucks. The last couple of months [were] a lot of conditioning and rehab, trying to keep in shape where I can and avoiding use of that arm the best I could – just letting it heal. I’m happy to be back playing.”

Entering his third (full) professional season, a lot of eyes are on the player known as a piece of that memorable Duchene trade. To describe Bowers as deceptive is quite apt.

Looking as far back as Bantam, Bowers first season numbers into his second everywhere he plays reveals a player who can adapt to new systems remarkably well. It’s not unheard of for a player to improve upon his first season’s numbers from one into the next, but the trend exposes a quality in Bowers that continues to serve him well.

He’s teachable. Adaptable. This makes it hard to predict a ceiling because it rests largely in his hands. His ability to transform relates to his environment as well.

The Halifax native came to the United States for his junior career with the Waterloo Black Hawks. His time in the USHL greatly influenced his decision to pursue the NCAA route instead of major juniors.

“I was playing in the USHL for my first year as a 16-year-old [and] I got exposed to [the NCAA] down there,” Bowers explained. “I thought it was a really good option for me. I decided I was gonna stay there another year, play my draft year in the USHL, and hopefully pursue going to college in the fall. After being exposed to it, I thought it was the best route and I definitely don’t regret it.”

Originally drafted 28th overall to the Ottawa Senators, Bowers learned he would be joining the Colorado Avalanche organization during his freshman year with Boston University, noting the situation as, “a different experience.”

His focus even after learning of the trade remained centered on optimizing his experience at BU. He credits much of his development to the structure of college hockey.

“You learn a lot – there’s so much time practicing,” Bowers said. “You don’t play as many games as in juniors so you get a lot of practice time in, a lot of time in the gym. And at the same time, it’s really good hockey. There’s a big age group in college hockey and I think the competition’s really stiff and tighter through all the leagues. [And so,] being able to play at that level for two years really benefited me.”

The Communications major is just a few classes shy of completing his degree and finished his time at BU as an 11-time Hockey East Top Performer and 3rd on the team in points while leading Boston with a plus-16 rating. He missed some time during his final season to compete in the World Junior Championship for Team Canada.

Some of the biggest takeaways from his time at BU involved laying the groundwork for his identity as a player who hopes to play in the NHL one day.

“I just tried to build that reliable identity; someone who can be used in every situation, be reliable and effective in every zone of the ice. I think our coaching staff there did a good job and then coming here right away they’re doing a great job here too in continuing that,” Bowers said.

He joined the Colorado Eagles for a playoff push in 2019 and entered his third season with the Eagles earlier this year.

His first season numbers have tapered off from 27 points in 48 games, but with this year’s injury and two COVID-19 interrupted seasons, it is necessary to factor in the expected growing pains of the transition from college to professional play.

“There’s a bit of a speed change – speed and physicality,” Bowers mentioned of the transition.

“College is older, but the AHL is even older than college and it’s a lot quicker and guys are more mature. There’s a lot more, [skilled] players so that makes the pace of play elevated and you have to elevate your game to that too.”

Speed is a recurring component in identifying the key to Bowers’ game. Colorado Eagles head coach, Greg Cronin, believes it’s what sets him apart from other players.

When he’s at his best, “he drives his feet on the entries, on the rushes. He generates scoring chances off the rush and when he gets the puck on the cycle, he’s able to escape, you know, separate from people,” Cronin explained of Bowers’ speed.

“We call it, ‘Drive inside ice and shoot it.’”

The escape-artistry Cronin alludes to is something Bowers recognized in his own game as well.

“My skating’s my biggest asset. When I’m playing my best, feeling the most confident, I’m skating,” he said. “I’m making plays with the puck and getting in on the forecheck first. That’s the biggest thing for me: when I’m moving my feet and when I have the puck on my stick, that’s when I’m most dangerous and most effective.”

Since Bowers’ return,  he’s been utilized in different ways. From the top line to fourth, winger to centreman, the purpose is to simplify his game. Perhaps there’s concern that a first round draft pick is playing on the fourth line, but such is the nature of the AHL.

The priority is development. Sometimes players are shown specific areas of their game to work on – the end goal isn’t always production.

You can find Bowers playing on the third or fourth line at points because, for now, his focus is speed and applying pressure.

“He can play center or wing, but his game’s all about skating,” Cronin shared. “He’s gotta skate, he’s gotta carry the puck and make plays with it. If he’s not skating, he’s not going to be visible.”

His ability to slot in at wing also makes him a versatile, utility player.

“It helps me – being able to play both positions. I’m comfortable with either now. I enjoy playing either,” Bowers admitted.

The next steps for Bowers require the student in him to stay hungry to learn and to adapt.

“You have to change a little bit and adapt to change and take on different roles,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my best and I think I’m on my way there – just trying to become the player I know I can be.”

For him, it involves, “being more consistent: playing a complete game every night, being tough to play against, playing in those hard areas, getting pucks in the net, and holding on to pucks.”

“The coaches are helping me out with that and showing me video [of the] things that I need to put in my game to get to the next level,” Bowers shared.

Because for Shane Bowers, his goal remains the same.

“It’s been my goal for the last three years – to play for the Avalanche. Every day I try to take steps towards that.”

He used the possessive pronoun, “our” to talk about past coaching staff from a program he’s no longer active in – “our coaching staff,” he’d say when talking about BU.

This reveals a “name on the front” type of player, and that’s exactly my impression of Bowers. There’s no hubris, no ego, just a skilled player trying to get better and learn.

He’s embracing his time with the Colorado Eagles and soaking up all it has to offer.

We talked about the Green Line Rivalry between BU and BC – the two teams played an annual rivalry game earlier in December. There’s a sense of pride when Bowers describes a similar intensity, and fun he is experiencing playing games in Colorado.

“Playing at home is definitely the best because we have the best fans in this league,” Bowers said. “Playing some other places, [they] don’t have great fans so it’s tough sometimes, but it’s always great to be home playing in front of our fans.”

There’s work to be done, and learning is what he does best. It’ll be hard to demoralize a player who likes being in Colorado so much.

“I love living here. It’s a great spot. With our fans here and the area – it’s for sure one of the best places to play in the American Hockey League and I’ve enjoyed it every minute so far.”