With Saturday holding the final day of training camp, it was time for big decisions. The games against the Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and Monday may result in some roster changes.
First on the ice were Alex Beaucage, Jean-Luc Foudy and Calum Ritchie, wearing red non-contact sweaters. Later, Wyatt Aamodt joined them while wearing full-contact gear. Ondrej Pavel appeared on Friday but did not lace up his skates today. As expected, Cale Makar was absent from camp and will possibly miss the first two games of the preseason.
The injury list leaves openings for youngsters to take a shot.
In the first group, Jack Ahcan, Nate Clurman and Tomas Tatar were running 5-on-5 drills on the fourth line, looking promising. Newcomer Miles Wood stood out on the ice. He was fast-paced and ran drills on the second line.
Clurman-Ahcan-Tatar
Colton-WoodWork on trying to hold the puck in a 5-on-5 situation. @TheRinkColorado #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/MCVOUV1Wbc
— Savvy Rafkin (@savvyrafkin) September 23, 2023
Defensively, Keaton Middleton was using his size to block shot opportunities. Bowen Byram also had a good showing and filled Makar’s absence with Devon Toews as well. The third line comprised of Joel Kiviranta, Brandon Kozun and Fredrik Olofsson.
Olofsson did not push his full potential. He joined the team in June but did not make much effort to stand out during camp.
The second group was more exciting. Despite wearing a red non-contact sweater and not expected to play in preseason games, Andrew Cogliano was aggressive and prepared for the regular season.
On the first line, Riley Tufte centered for Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin and could keep up. Nichushkin had several good plays on the first line. He controlled the puck and seemed eager to recreate in-game intensity.
After Nathan MacKinnon’s team-excused absence to attend a ceremony with the Halifax Mooseheads, he returned to Colorado and suited up in an unexpected fourth-line sweater.
Though his talent outshined that of D.J. Busdeker and Dalton Smith, both with AHL contracts, perhaps his gameplay on the fourth line encourages younger players to work harder to maintain a contract.
MacKinnon works his way through traffic with very little help from Dalton Smith #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/AVcGfDLOb2
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) September 23, 2023
With camp at a close, the real test for the green players will be the showing in the first few games of preseason. After the games, an entirely different roster may emerge before the Colorado Eagles’ camp takes place in the beginning of October.