The Colorado Avalanche exchanged Cal Burke for Caleb Jones with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Yesterday, the Hurricanes sent Jones to the Colorado Eagles because of the their lack of an affiliate club to assign players to.
With the Chicago Wolves going independent, Carolina has no AHL affiliate. They have made a deal with the Eagles to loan dman Caleb Jones to Colorado. #Avs #GoAvsGo #Canes #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/vV210C4WK1
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) October 9, 2023
Jones, who was a fourth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers, is the brother of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones. He is also the son of former Denver Nuggets power forward Popeye Jones. Caleb is a versatile two-way defenseman who can fill many roles. He is aggressive on the blue line and physical on the boards. Jones plays a very mobile game with his head up and aware of the play ahead of him. Now, he will become one of the Avalanche’s top choices to call up when they need a defenseman in Denver.
Unless the Hurricanes recall him now, Burke will continue to stay with the Eagles. Burke plays a 200-foot game, often leading the play out of the defensive zone. After passing to the winger, he crashes the net for rebounds or tap-ins. In December last year, Burke was called up to the Avalanche to make his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins, a team he grew up cheering for. In his two-game stint, he could not generate any points. Burke will stay with the Eagles because of their connection with the Hurricanes, which is fortunate since he and his wife recently had a baby boy.
The Avalanche have additional blue line choices for potential recalls. The Eagles’ disadvantage is working with a non-owned prospect in their system. This can hurt the player’s development chances of maintaining consistent ice time. The Avalanche and Eagles now have a congested blue line. Players must work harder for ice time. The sooner Carolina can secure their own affiliate club, the better.