Avalanche Rookie Camp Opens in Denver

Sep 7, 2018

_{by Mcallaster Miller / ColoradoEagles.com}

The fog clouding the glass soon dissipates as players rush onto the ice for the first day of Rookie Camp. This is the first day fans get to see players that could potentially fill the roster for the season to come. Some veterans amongst the rookies include former Eagles players Travis Barron, Michael Joly, JC Beaudin, Nicolas Meloche, & Sergei Boikov. All players that have dressed for the Eagles in the ECHL and hope to make the jump up to the AHL with the team.

“I’m really excited to be here. I’m going to have a shot to show them what I can do at the AHL level and the NHL level, so hopefully it works out.” Michael Joly signed a one year deal with Colorado after coming off a 41 goal season in just 52 games played in the ECHL. This “show me deal” is really Joly’s chance to make a statement to the organization that he belongs in the AHL and in consideration for future NHL callups. But he’s not the only one looking to make splash here at Rookie Camp.

Travis Barron is coming off a short offseason that saw his first glimpse of pro hockey, ECHL Kelly Cup Championship, Development Camp, and now Rookie Camp. “I’ve taken as much as I can to work out and enjoy some time at home with family and friends.”

Even though he’s not had much time off Barron knows that there’s a job to be done here at camp and there’s pressure to perform as one of the veterans at Rookie Camp. “It’s always a grind to go and play these first games of the summer. Everyone’s going 110%, so it’s always fun to meet new teammates and new buddies but everyone is here to compete for a job.”

The rookies hit the ice in Las Vegas for the first time on Saturday September 8th for a game against the host Vegas Golden Knights rookies at 8pm Mountain Time. You can catch all the game updates and live scoring on Colorado Eagles social media channels by following @ColoradoEagles.