In the final game of the Rookie Showcase tournament, the Avalanche square off at 1pm MDT against the Anaheim Ducks at Solar4America Ice in San Jose, CA. The Avalanche lost their first game against the Sharks 7-4 where the goaltending struggled all night long. The goalies looked much better in the 2nd game of the tournament but the baby Avs still fell to the baby Yotes 4-3 in OT.

The Avs have looked good on the puck and have moved through the neutral zone with relative ease the first couple of games. They’ve created a lot of great scoring opportunities and for the better half of both games have controlled play. Win or lose, although it’s always better to win, these tune up games are exactly what the rookies need before heading into training camp.

Who to Watch:

Avalanche

It’s no surprise that Compher, Jost and Greer have been impressive so far. These guys are primed to make the roster come opening night. The off-season acquisitions of Kerfoot and Toninato have looked like a good move from the front office. Both of these guys have skated hard and are really making a name for themselves during the tournament. There’s a good chance one of those two, maybe both, puts on an Avalanche sweater during the regular season this year. Nicolas Meloche has been one of the better players on the ice for the Avalanche. He looks really comfortable on the ice and can certainly be in the fight for the last D pairing this season. It’s good to see Mironov out there, he’s a large human being, you can’t miss him.

Ducks

The Ducks won their first two games of the tournament by a combined scored of 11-2. Although they do not have any superstar names on the rookie tournament roster, they have plenty of depth. 2016 1st rounder, Sam Steel, is one of the bigger names for the Ducks and he looks to make the jump to the NHL soon. Max Jones, another 2016 1st rounder, has looked impressive with his size (6’3’’, 200 pounds) and defensive capabilities for a winger. Josh Mahura has been all the rage for Anaheim this tournament. Beat writers for the Ducks have really praised his game over the first 2 games saying he’s shown great patience in the defensive zone and has even found a little offensive touch, registering 4 shots on goal against Arizona. Jacob Larsson, who played 4 games for the Ducks last season, producing 2 assists, more than likely will make the Ducks opening night roster this year. He looks ready.

How to Watch:

The Avalanche are streaming all of the games on their website. Puck drop is at 1pm MDT.

Upcoming:

The Avalanche open up the on ice portion of training camp on Friday, Sept 15th at Family Sports Center in Centennial. Avalanche practices are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Check out their website for practice times and dates. The annual Burgundy and White game will be held at Magness Arena on Sunday, Sept 17th at 10am. The Avs then open preseason with a game against the newest team in the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights, on Sept 19th at Pepsi Center at 7pm.