Observations from Development Camp

Colorado Avalanche prospects showed their skills on ice.

The annual Colorado Avalanche development camp comes fast and furious once the NHL draft wraps up and this year as no exception with prospects hitting the ice just three days later. But, it ends just as quickly and with summer hockey now behind us, here are some thoughts from the event.

Tory Pitner made the biggest impression on me in this camp. The right shot defenseman wasn’t utilized much by Denver this past season but he’s poised to make a jump in his sophomore season. He was a standout in skating and agility drills, plus has a good knack for helping his head up and getting his shot to the net. Pitner’s skill-set reminds of a Devon Toews type and if he can keep improving would be a good bet to get a pro contract.

Two players who might pay immediate dividends for the Colorado Eagles are new signees Cooper Gay and Hank Kempf. The former signed an Entry Level Contract and with his six-foot-four frame could easily see himself as a call up to the Avalanche season on the fourth line. He has a lanky frame and some skill, there could be upside with the 23-year-old Gay.

Kempf was part of the return from the New York Rangers in the Ryan Lindgren trade and has since signed an AHL deal with the Eagles. Thus, the 23-year-old left shot defenseman won’t be in the mix for a recall to the Avalanche, he still looks primed to be a contributing regular defenseman for the Eagles especially as they experienced turnover in their veteran core.

Development camp is always time for invitees to shine and if the Avalanche are interested in offering a pro contract. One such who looks ready for the pro game is right shot forward Lucas Wahlin. At 24-years of age he could fit right in on the Eagles. As a former University of St. Thomas teammate of Cooper Gay, Colorado is likely considering this. Wahlin’s speed and agility stood out among the group,

Of the newly drafted players, it was good to see both defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce and Linus Funck on the ice for their initiation to the Avalanche organization. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see a glimpse of Nolan Roed as he was not skating. The polish of Dell’Elce stood out with a year of NCAA hockey under his belt and he might be far off from turning pro.

An interesting wrinkle was Linus Funck getting selected in the CHL import draft, quite literally while he was on the ice participating in drills. Funck is an intriguing prospect with good size at six-foot-three and skates pretty well. He’s good at making a stretch pass but some individual puck skill still needs some polish. Getting drafted by the defending Memorial Cup champion London Knights doesn’t happen on a whim and considering the Avalanche don’t tend to leave non-Russian prospects in Europe it makes sense that this is a strong option for the young Swede.

Finally, some other notes on existing prospects. Defenseman Sean Behrens didn’t look hampered by his recovery from his ACL injury. Though he wasn’t taking contact he was still able to display his agility and affinity for rushing the puck. Forward Max Curran has emerged with a bit of hype after leading his WHL team in scoring this past season. His best attribute is his shot but the skating needs some work. He’s expected to play for the Edmonton Oil Kings this season.

Hopefully we’ll see many of these players at the Rookie Tournament in September!