The Avalanche are wasting no time getting their rookies on the ice.
Colorado’s first official team-led skate of the 2026-27 season comes Friday morning at Family Sports Center, and the group will have only one day of practice before heading to San Jose for two rookie tournament games.
This year’s roster looks like one of the most talented the Avalanche have sent to the event in years, and a few names stand out immediately. Among them, four players have the clearest chance to leave a mark before main camp opens.
T.J. Hughes is the most intriguing of the bunch.
The Avalanche signed the undrafted college free agent to a one-year deal after his senior season at Michigan, and there’s a lot to like about the package he brings. He’s 24, which makes him one of the older rookies in the NHL, but he also arrives with a versatile game that lets him line up at center or wing.
That kind of flexibility, along with his work ethic, could fit well with head coach Jared Bednar’s preferences. Colorado needs young forwards who can eventually force their way into NHL jobs, and Hughes may have the highest ceiling of that group.
The rookie tournament also offers a familiar kind of stage for a Michigan product, with Gavin Brindley’s experience 12 months ago serving as the most recent reminder of what a strong showing can do.
Ilya Nabokov is in a different spot, but the attention is just as real. The 23-year-old goalie comes into his first NHL season with more professional seasoning than most rookies, and the Avalanche see him as a meaningful part of what comes next.
His performance in the rookie tournament and through main camp could go a long way toward shaping where he fits in the organization before his first full North American season. He’s expected to spend most of the year with the Colorado Eagles, though even that path isn’t fully locked in.
Trent Miner is already established in Colorado, and Nabokov will have to earn his chances for new AHL coach Jussi Ahokas.
Sean Behrens is another player whose development path has already taken a detour. An injury kept him off the ice for all of the 2024-25 season, the year that was supposed to be his first full one as a pro.
Instead, he spent that time rehabbing before returning last year to play for the Eagles. Colorado took Behrens in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft after following his progress at the University of Denver, and this camp gives him another important step as he keeps pushing toward a possible NHL opportunity.
Matt DiMarsico rounds out the group. The Avalanche signed the undrafted college free agent to a two-year contract in March after his time at Penn State, and while he doesn’t come with the same buzz as Hughes, he’s still a forward worth tracking closely.
Joe Sakic has repeatedly brought him up in media availabilities since last season ended, pointing to DiMarsico as a young player who could compete for ice time. For a 22-year-old, that kind of mention says plenty about how the organization sees him.
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Avalanche Leave Jared Bednar Question Unsettled Entering Key Offseason
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Bednar is heading into the final year of his current deal, which would normally add a little more edge to the conversation, but both sides seem content to let the process breathe. For now, the Avalanche are leaving one of their most important decisions unresolved as they turn toward a crucial offseason, with the expectation that discussions will keep going without anyone forcing the issue. [Read more 🡒]