The Avalanche have high expectations for both Jere Innala and Nikolai Kovalenko, which is why both have started camp flanking Casey Mittelstadt on the “second” line. It makes perfect sense. Compared to some of the other fresh faces in camp, they’re a little bit older and have years of pro experience.

“There’s two guys that can make our team right out of training camp,” Jared Bednar said after day two of camp. “We have high expectations of those guys, for sure, and I think they’ve handled it well.”

One of those two really stood out, though.

“I thought Kovalenko was outstanding on the ice today,” he said. “That’s what you’re looking for, guys to elevate their game, step up in the situations they’re put in. He looks like he handled it great today, and hopefully that can continue.”

Outstanding might not have been the word I used, but he was one of the clear standouts on Friday. His shot was on fire, picking corners left and right during the first half of his groups session, but it was one part of practice where he really stood out.

Battle drills.

If you’ve read any of my film rooms on Kovalenko, you know that he’s a battler, and he was built for those types of drills. It started out with a 1-on-1, and he held off the defender with one arm before backhanding a puck right under the crossbar. It continued through the drills and at the end, he tossed the much-bigger Chad Hillebrand to the ice with ease.

You can tell that during the 5-on-5 work he’s still trying to get the system down and he’s talking to a lot of veterans when he’s on the ice, but the compete level is there. And the Avalanche will certainly have room at the start of the season for a young guy like him to make an impact.

“We’re going to see some guys play up in our lineup immediately, starting opening night, if they can handle it,” Bednar said. “If not, we’ll have to juggle things around and elevate some of the guys we already have here.”

Other Takeaways

• We spoke to Kovalenko after practice, but his English is still getting there. He said he may take Georgiev with him into the coaches room to help translate some system things for him so he can understand it more. The 24 year old said he took some time this summer to get healthy after dealing with some injuries last season, but trained in Florida with Nikita Zadorov and other NHL’ers, including some of the Florida Panthers crew.
• Oliver Kylington skated with the group today and his skating ability stands out big time. It’s even more remarkable that he looked as quick as he did because his stuff still hasn’t arrived. He told the media that he was breaking in new gear and spent a lot of time stuck in a hotel over the last few weeks dealing with immigration issues. He’s happy to be in Colorado, though. The Captain may have played a role in recruiting him.
  • “Great city, great organization. Landeskog helped a lot too, but also just the competitiveness of the team and the will to win,” Kylington said. “I just felt that I really want to be a part of that and just try to chip in with my qualities and my personality. I just felt flattered that they really wanted me as much as they did.”
• Erik Brannstrom and Kylington together was fun to watch. Not sure how they’d handle a forecheck as a pair, but they can both really get up and down the ice. Brannstrom has a really good stick that helps make up for his lack of size just a little bit.
• Had a quick chat with Parker Kelly and he’s really excited to be in Colorado. I’m not sure I understand putting him at center between two guys on AHL contracts, but I think he’ll be with the Avalanche a lot this year.
• Josh Manson said he was able to have a normal training summer after dealing with rehabbing from surgery last summer.
• Bednar was asked about the lack of size on the team, but he didn’t seem too worried about it, mostly because he expects Landeskog and Nichushkin to return. He also said a lot of their smaller guys play bigger than their size.
• Coach has been really happy with group two on both days, and it’s the significantly less talented group. He made sure to praise Ivan Ivan, Phillips, Tynan, and Prischepov.
• Jean-Luc Foudy had another good day, and although his shot isn’t the most powerful, it was awfully accurate on Friday. Calum Ritchie looked a little better but still looks very much like a rookie, which shouldn’t be a huge surprise.
• The Avalanche will be back at it again on Saturday, and expect Family Sports to be packed if you’re coming.