Avs Stars Preseason Game 1: Studs and Studs

The Colorado Avalanche opened their preseason with a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Here are the stars and losers of the game.

Bolt

Matthew Phillips/TJ Tynan

I tweeted about these two during training camp and said they would be a revelation for the Colorado Eagles this year. They meshed beautifully in their first game together and were two of Colorado's best and most active forwards. They combined for a beautiful pass play on the first Avs goal of the game, which was finished by Phillips.

The sad reality is that both players are limited by their small size and that will prevent them from using their high skill level to earn a lot of ice time in the NHL. However, they were great last night and I expect them to stick together going forward.

Nikita Prishchepov

Selected 217th overall in last summer's NHL Draft, Prishchepov is one of the few late-round draft picks currently pushing for a professional career. That's because he's already 20 years old and may need to return to the QMJHL for an overage season.

That path hasn't worked well for previous Avalanche draft picks, but with Prishchepov, the Avs should try to replicate the success Ivan Ivan had last season with an AHL contract that became an ELC in March.

I say all this because he was very good last night. He attacked on the forecheck, showed great hockey sense and his work rate was among the highest in the Avalanche game. It was his forecheck that caused the turnover that led to Phillips' goal and he created several more chances as the game went on.

It was only one game, of course, but it was a performance that stood out. An AHL contract would not count against Colorado's 50-contract limit, which currently has them at just 42 anyway. I hope we see Prishchepov play in the second preseason game, and if we see a similar performance, this discussion needs to get louder.

Erik Brannstrom

Brannstrom's game was very varied, but the good was great. His lateral mobility is excellent, which gives him the freedom to maintain aggressive spacing, especially at the blue line where the Avalanche like to stifle play. We saw that and Brannstrom's good play along the boards throughout the evening.

What we didn't see was a player comfortable on the power play. Given his reputation as a puck mover, it was notable how poorly he fared carrying the puck on the power play. That part of his game was disappointing, but otherwise there was a lot we liked.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

After arguably the strongest camp performance by a PTO since Jack Skille, Bellemare just needed to avoid a disastrous performance in a real game to secure his contract.

Consider that box checked because Bellemare was the best player on his line (along with Joel Kiviranta and Jason Polin). He won faceoffs, played well on defense and kept his game simple. All of that is Bellemare's bread and butter and he did exactly what you would like to see.

Combine his on-ice accomplishments with his intangibles (he wore an “A” on his chest), and it's clear that Bellemare will get a contract and return to being a fourth-line center. At 39, that's an impressive and emphatic answer to the questions that forced him on paid leave in the first place.

Cal Ritchie

I wasn't thrilled with Ritchie's play, but I loved that he seemed to get better once the game was tied in the third period. We saw the pace issues that he will surely struggle with until his skating gets a little better, but we also saw all the things that make Ritchie Colorado's top talent.

His hockey sense was on full display as he was a creative and willing playmaker for his teammates, sometimes to excess. He had more shooting opportunities and literally missed them as he tried to make a play, but he did end up scoring a lucky goal when a pass across the crease was deflected off a Stars defender and into the net.

Ritchie also won faceoffs and took on defensive duties at the pivot position and did a good job. The Avs are taken at the center position if we assume Bellemare gets a contract, but injuries are always an issue and if Ritchie proves himself to be adequate enough to play on the wing, he could be a backup option if something happens.

It's been a solid start for Ritchie. He still has more to prove, but he continues to pass the tests set before him to earn another chance.

Unexploded bombs

Oliver Kylington

I mentioned this on the postgame podcast, but Kylington's recovery was great. The problem was that too often his recovery was necessitated by mistakes of his own making. Combine that with his complete willingness to give up on his own defense, and I felt after this game that Kylington had lost the first direct battle for playing time with Brannstrom.

At the other end of the ice, his puck movement wasn't particularly impressive and he failed to drive the puck deep on several occasions, creating opportunities for the Stars on the other side. I know Kylington has been a lot of chaos off the ice lately, so I won't fault him too much for the first game, but with the “every day counts” attitude, this wasn't a great outing.

The other defenders

Jacob MacDonald and Calle Rosen had trouble with turnovers, especially an absolutely brutal turnover by MacDonald in the middle of the ice that easily could have led to an open goal for the Stars.

Keaton Middleton's limitations were clear for all to see. He is too slow for NHL hockey and his ability to move the puck is far too limited to be relied upon. The physicality that should be his calling card didn't play a big role.

The only other defenseman in the game was Sean Behrens and I thought he was pretty decent, so I'm not counting him as a star or a loser.

Unknown hero

Matt StienburG

I loved Stenburg's game. He was aggressive, physical and committed all over the ice. His skill set just isn't good enough to compete for the NHL, as he's clearly not as good with the puck as Jason Polin, but he does a lot of the little things very well.

He's always been a nuisance, and that was the appeal when the Avs signed him in 2019. Stienburg is a tough player who attacks with reckless abandon and also contributes to the shorthanded game.

Again, I don't think he's in the running for the NHL, but I wanted to give him flowers for an eventful evening.