Colorado Avalanche Top 25 Under 25; #14 Ty Lewis

The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Mile High Hockey community. Eight writers and 320 readers ranked players under the age of 25 as of September 1, 2018 in the Colorado Avalanche organization. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production against future projection to rank each player. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.

Undrafted, Ty Lewis immediately became a fan favorite to anyone who watched him in 2017 Avs Training Camp. An unsigned invite at the time, he left everything he had on the ice every time he skated, blowing by competition, scoring nice goals, and not being at all afraid physically. He is very fun to watch, and his ELC was well-earned.

He got a shot in training camp to begin with thanks to a 68-point 2016-17 WHL season - an incredible 45-point improvement over his rookie campaign. Returning to the WHL once again, he blew the doors off with a 100-point season (44 goals and 56 assists). His combination of speed, size, and nose for the net allowed him to dominate the league. His omission from the Team Canada WJC squad was unfortunate, but the team was stacked and for an undrafted player to even get in the conversation is a tribute to how hard this kid works.

As the Colorado Eagles fill out their inaugural roster, the sky’s the limit for Lewis. No one is owed anything; everyone is coming in fresh and play will determine who plays on which line. If his work ethic stays the same, it’s hard not to imagine he gets a chance to be relied on in a big way offensively. His 200-foot game and ability to disrupt opponents’ play will likely be his next hurdle to overcome moving forward, other than making sure his offense can make a transition to pro of course. That being said, he doesn’t have glaring weaknesses. There’s no singular skill Lewis needs to grow to be successful, but if he can continue making small improvements in all regards, just like he did in the WHL, he will prove to be a great asset for the organization.

Expect a year or two of mostly AHL duties for Lewis (a typical development cycle), but given his skillset as a high-energy player with the ability to score around the net, he will be a prime candidate very quickly to steal a bottom-six spot if current NHLers get injured or moved.