A new goaltending showdown is taking shape inside the Avalanche organization, and it won’t be happening under the lights at Ball Arena. Instead, the first real test comes in Loveland, where Ilya Nabokov and Trent Miner are set to split time with the Colorado Eagles and chase the same kind of future NHL opening.
The setup is simple, but the competition isn’t. Nabokov arrives as one of Colorado’s most interesting prospects, a goalie who has already said he wants to be the best in the world. Miner comes in with a different story: years of work inside the Avalanche system, a long wait for his chance, and an NHL debut last season that gave him real momentum.
Nabokov is already making sure he looks like more than just a name on a prospect list. Even though optional skates are supposed to be low-key, the 23-year-old has been showing up regularly at Family Sports Center and treating those sessions like they matter. On Wednesday, Sean Behrens, Alex Gagne and Matthew DiMarsico each got chances to beat him, and Nabokov shut down most of them with the quick glove and athletic movement that helped make him such a prized pick.
Colorado took Nabokov 38th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the first goaltender selected that year. Before coming to North America, he had already won a Gagarin Cup and earned KHL playoff MVP honors with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
There’s plenty to like in the résumé. The question is how his game plays when the shooters get bigger, faster and closer to NHL level.
At 6-foot-1, Nabokov is smaller than many of the modern goalies in the league, and his lower stance gives him a different look. That style helps him cover ground quickly, and his athleticism, lateral movement and recovery ability have been major reasons he’s stood out. Still, the Avalanche need to know whether those traits hold up against the best competition.
His final season in Russia was part of that adjustment process. The numbers dipped, with his save percentage dropping from .923 to .901 and his goals-against average rising from 2.22 to 2.74.
On paper, that looks like a step back. But Nabokov was also changing parts of his game in preparation for North America, and this season with the Eagles will show whether those changes were worth it.
Miner has his own case to make, and it’s a strong one. He’s been in the organization for years, waiting for a real opening, and last season he finally got one.
In January, he picked up his first NHL win with a shutout, stopping all 22 shots in a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. That made him just the 17th goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in his first NHL win.
He didn’t just flash in that one game. Miner appeared in four NHL contests for Colorado and went 1-0-3 with a 2.03 GAA and .933 save percentage.
He was just as effective with the Eagles, finishing the regular season 17-8-8 before raising his level again in the playoffs. Colorado reached the Western Conference Final, and Miner posted an 11-6 record with a 1.87 GAA and .925 save percentage.
That’s why this isn’t just a routine AHL assignment. The Eagles’ crease has become a legitimate proving ground for two goalies with very different paths, but similar ambitions.
Nabokov has been blunt about the ceiling he’s chasing. In May, he said he wants to be the best goalie in the world.
Miner doesn’t need that kind of declaration to understand the stakes. He already showed last season that he can help at the NHL level, and now he has to prove that stretch was not a one-off.
Colorado’s NHL situation adds another layer to all of it. Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood are expected to handle the crease this season, with Blackwood under contract for four more years and Wedgewood set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. That makes this a particularly important year for Nabokov, because a strong season in Loveland could put him in position to be an internal option when the next opening appears.
Miner could make that picture even more complicated if he keeps building on what he showed last season.
For the Avalanche, that’s exactly the kind of problem they want. Two goaltenders pushing each other is a lot better than scrambling to figure out where the next NHL answer is coming from. But for Nabokov and Miner, the fight is more personal than organizational.
One wants to prove his adjustments are paying off and that he’s closing in on an NHL job. The other wants to show he already belongs there.
The battle starts with the Eagles, and it could shape what comes next for both goalies.
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