Avalanche Farm Report: April 23

Spotlight On: Andrew Agozzino, C, Colorado Eagles (AHL)

The Kleinburg, Ontario, native also spent 11 games with the Colorado Avalanche this season. He notched his first NHL goal on Feb. 18 and notched his fourth-career assist in the same outing.
Aggozino was signed as a free agent by Colorado on July 1, 2017. This is the forward's second time in the AHL postseason, and he has posted nine points (six goals, three assists) in 12 playoff appearances.

Colorado Eagles

The Eagles began play in the first round of the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs this week, splitting the opening two games at home against the Bakersfield Condors.
On Friday, despite outshooting the Condors 28-23, Colorado lost 3-2 in Game 1. A.J. Greer notched two assists while Mark Alt scored his first AHL playoff marker. David Warsofsky also tallied, as Nicolas Meloche and Dominic Toninato registered helpers in the outing. Pavel Francouz started between the pipes for Colorado, making 20-of-23 saves in his first AHL playoff appearance.
Game 2 saw the Eagles earn their first postseason victory in the AHL, with lots of help from Andrew Agozzino. Agozzino found the back of the net three times to record his first playoff hat trick as Colorado beat Bakersfield 4-1. Agozzino netted the first puck while the club was shorthanded, received an assist from Warsofsky on a power play to notch his second tally and cemented his accomplishment by lighting the lamp into an empty net with 10 seconds left in the tilt.
Cody Bass also recorded a helper on a goal from Julien Nantel. Colorado held the Condors scoreless through seven power-play opportunities, while Francouz made 29-of-30 saves in net.
The Eagles are now tied 1-1 in the best-of-five series.
Upcoming Games:
Game 3: April 23 at Bakersfield Condors
Game 4: April 27 at Bakersfield Condors
Game 5: April 28 at Bakersfield Condors*
\if necessary*

Utah Grizzlies

Utah's season came to an end this week as the team fell in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Grizzlies played three games that went into overtime, starting on Wednesday with a 3-2 overtime loss against the Idaho Steelheads. Josh Dickinson recorded a goal and an assist in the contest, his fifth and sixth points of the postseason. Dickinson added another helper to his playoff total on a power play during Friday's outing, but the team lost 5-4 in the extra frame. The following day, Colorado lost 2-1 in overtime in Game 5, ending its playoff run.

NCAA

Cale Makar (University of Massachusetts): Makar was named the Hockey East Player for the month of March and April after scoring 10 points (three goals, seven assists) over nine games during that span. The defenseman also received the 2019 Hobey Baker Award and was voted the Hockey East Player of the Year, Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Northeast Regional and a Hockey East and New England All-Star. Makar helped the Minutemen to its first-ever trip to the NCAA Men's Division I National Championship Game after tallying 16 goals and 33 assists in 41 contests for UMass during the season. Following the conclusion of his college season, Makar signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche on April 14. He made his professional debut for Colorado in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Calgary Flames on April 15 and tallied his first career NHL goal in the outing. The defenseman played in the following two contests in the first round with the Avalanche, notching an assist as the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
University of Notre Dame: Cam Morrison was named to the NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team and finished the season tied for fifth on the team with 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 32 games. Freshman defenseman Nate Clurman skated in both games at the national tournament and registered three assists in 39 outings during the main campaign. Fellow first-year blueliner Nick Leivermann recorded a goal and a helper in 23 appearances. Notre Dame finished the season with a 23-14-3 record.
Shane Bowers (Boston University): Bowers notched 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 37 games during his sophomore campaign at Boston University. The native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, represented Canada on the world stage this year, playing five games and recording two assists at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 19-year-old signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Avalanche and made his professional debut with the Colorado Eagles on an Amateur Tryout, appearing in four regular-season games and two playoff outings with the club.
Sampo Ranta (University of Minnesota): During his freshman year at Minnesota, Ranta played in 36 games and racked up 16 points (six goals, 10 assists). He recorded a season-high three points (three assists) against Notre Dame on Jan. 11.
Denis Smirnov (Penn State University): Smirnov generated 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in his junior year with Penn State. The Russian-born forward registered a career-high four points on Feb. 22 against Wisconsin with two goals and two assists. Smirnov produced one helper in the Big Ten Tournament for the Nittany Lions.
Tyler Weiss (University of Nebraska Omaha): The freshman produced 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 25 games during his first season of NCAA hockey for Nebraska Omaha. Weiss missed the first part of his season due to injury.

OHL

Brandon Saigeon (Oshawa Generals): Saigeon and the Generals are down 3-0 in the conference finals of the OHL Playoffs. The series began on Thursday, as Saigeon tallied twice in a 6-4 loss to the Ottawa 67's. The Avalanche prospect notched another marker in Game 2, his sixth of the playoffs, while the Generals fell 7-3 to Ottawa. The forward was held off the scoresheet in Game 3, a 5-1 loss against the 67's. Saigeon, who is making his third appearance in the OHL Playoffs, has set a career high in postseason assists with 10 helpers through 13 contests. He registered a career-high 92 points (37 goals, 55 assists) during the regular season, split between Oshawa and the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Generals will play Game 4 on Wednesday.

WHL

Nick Henry (Lethbridge Hurricanes): Through 69 outings, Henry produced 94 points (29 goals, 65 assists) in the WHL regular season, split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats. He added six points in the playoffs, notching four markers and two helpers in seven outings. After his team's playoff run came to an end, Henry signed an amateur tryout contract with the Colorado Eagles and made his professional debut, playing in three regular-season contests.

Czech Republic

Petr Kvaca (Ceske Budejovice): Kvaca and Ceske Budejovice continued to play in the postseason this week, dropping two contests before rallying to win the third. On Tuesday, Kvaca started in net and made 28 saves as Ceske Budejovice took on Rytiri Kladno and fell 4-2. The goaltender made a relief appearance in the next outing on Friday, stopping three shots in a 4-2 loss against Kladno. He then earned a win on Sunday, making 29-of-31 saves in a 5-2 victory over HC Dynamo Paradubice. Kvaca owns a .960 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average through six postseason outings. In the regular season, he posted a 12-7 record, 1.80 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and three shutouts in 19 games.

Finland

Justus Annunen (Karpat, Liiga): Karpat began a best-of-seven series against HPK on Monday. Annunen did not dress as the team beat HPK 4-1 in Game 1. The goaltender spent most of the campaign with Hermes of the second-tier Mestis league, where he produced a 13-8-0 record, 2.77 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. Karpat is back in action on Tuesday to continue the series.

Sweden

Adam Werner (Farjestad BK, SHL): Werner served as the backup in the final two matches of Farjestad BK's season this week. The team won 6-1 on Tuesday to tie the series 3-3, but Game 7 saw the team's playoff run come to an end as Farjestad BK fell 4-1 in the concluding contest. Werner, who completed his first full season with Farjestad BK, generated a 15-6-3-3 record through 26 tilts in the regular season and posted a 2.02 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.
Gustav Olhaver (Tingsryds AIF, Allsvenskan): In his first season with Tingsryds AIF, Olhaver generated eight points (four goals, four assists) in 51 appearances. The forward's 51 games played were a career high for the 21-year-old.

Russia

Nikolai Kovalenko (Loko, MHL): Kovalenko continued postseason play with Loko as the club looks to win the MHL championship title. On Tuesday, Kovalenko skated for 18:38 as Loko was held scoreless in a 1-0 loss, the first defeat of the series. The following day, Kovalenko notched an assist as his team fell 2-1. Kovalenko was on the ice for 22:47 in Game 5, which saw Loko battle to a 2-1 overtime loss. Kovalenko helped his team tie the series in Game 6, recording two assists in a 3-2 overtime victory. Game 7 is on Wednesday. Kovalenko produced six points (five goals, one assist) in 33 regular-season appearances with Lokomotiv and added two assists in seven playoff games. He also recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in six games as he earned a bronze medal with Team Russia at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Danila Zhuravlyov (Bars Kazan, VHL): Zhuravlyov wrapped up the regular season with Irbis Kazan of Russia's junior league after completing the Supreme Hockey League (VHL) season with Bars Kazan. The defenseman finished his first full year with Bars Kazan by recording five points (five assists) in 40 outings. After his club's season was over, he skated in the final four regular-season games for Irbis Kazan. Zhuravlyov earned a bronze medal in January with Russia at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he registered one assist in seven contests.
Shamil Shmakov (Sibirskie Snaipery, MHL): In 23 appearances with Sibirskie this season, Shmakov posted a 7-11-1 record with a .915 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average. He was named the MHL Goaltender of the Month (East) for November after posting a .963 save percentage, 0.99 goals-against average and a 5-0 record in seven games played.