For the Avalanche to get to where it wants to go, its call-ups need to keep delivering.
After depth was an issue for the Avs last year, especially down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs, this year’s team is getting consistent play from its fringe players promoted from the minor league Colorado Eagles.
Case in point: Forward Ben Meyers got called up from the AHL on Monday, then promptly went out and scored that night in the Avs’ 6-5 comeback win over Calgary at Ball Arena.
“I thought (Meyers) was rock-solid defensively, and then he also chipped in a big goal,” Avs head coach Jared Bednar said. “It’s as good of an outcome for calling up a player as you can imagine.”
Two long-term absences by defenseman Samuel Girard (NHL/NHLPA players assistance program) and winger Artturi Lehkonen (neck injury) created a need for the Avs to lean on the Eagles for NHL-ready players.
In addition to Meyers, other fringe players who have made an impact include defenseman Sam Malinski (called up Dec. 1), defenseman Caleb Jones (Nov. 15) and winger Joel Kiviranta (Nov. 13), with the latter two having combined for 380 games of NHL experience before this year. Meyers and Malinski, meanwhile, were acquired by the Avs as undrafted college free agents, with Malinski debuting this year.
In all, that quartet’s proved steady for Colorado, which is 18-9-2 and in first place in the Central heading into Saturday’s game in Winnipeg.
“That (depth) is what every team’s striving for,” Bednar said. “You’re going to need more than just your roster of 20 to 23 to get through the season successfully. And that’s why an AHL team is so important. They’re right up the road (in Loveland), and we’re in constant contact with the players and the staff there. The message that’s being sent to those players is the exact same as here, especially when they go down to work on things.”
Veteran center Andrew Cogliano said the capability of the team’s call-ups is “is further along this year (than last year), for sure.”
“Benny’s played in a good amount of games for us (44 before this season), so when he comes up, he knows what he’s doing,” Cogliano said. “He’s been really good, and Malinski’s been a pleasant surprise, just in terms of not knowing much about him, but it seems like he’s got a bright future. And Jones and (Kiviranta), they’ve been around for a long time and have a lot of experience.
“More experience helps in those roles. In the situations that they’re put in, they’ve got to be depended on, and they have been dependable so far.”
For Jones (plus-6 in 12 games) and Kiviranta (plus-1 in 14, with 5 points), the Avs present a chance to rekindle their NHL careers.
Jones arrived via trade with Carolina on Oct. 10, while Kiviranta — whose hat trick in Game 7 of the second round of the 2020 playoffs, topped off by the game-winner in overtime, helped Dallas end Colorado’s season — came to the Avs this year on a tryout contract. He got cut after training camp, then signed an AHL deal, and then an NHL deal when he got promoted last month.
“Making an impact on the penalty-kill unit is a big focus for me,” Kiviranta said. “There were two options (coming into the regular season) — sign with the AHL, or go back to Europe, and I wasn’t done here yet. The AHL was the only way to get the games and keep me in shape. I was hoping on (this call-up), but you never know.”
Malinski said the Avs’ core group of veterans headlined by Cogliano, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar have helped ease the newer fringe players into their roles.
“It’s definitely a transition anytime you’re joining a new team, and especially when you’re jumping up a level from the AHL,” Malinski said. “The (veterans) have done a good job of helping us with that adjustment. … We’re just trying to build on each game, getting a little bit better, a little bit more comfortable and keep this team on the winning track.”
In the continuation of that trend in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over Buffalo at Ball Arena, Malinski netted his first career goal in the third period and tacked on his third assist in seven games played.
“That was very special, and a moment you dream of your entire life since you were a little kid,” Malinski said. “(Jack Johnson) saw me wide (on the ice), he showed a little deception and he slipped it over to me at the perfect time.
“Obviously the transition period is a little bit tough, and I’ve made some mistakes throughout the few games that I’ve played, so it means a lot to me that they keep putting me out there. I’m going to do my best to keep building.”
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