From August 29-30th, youth hockey players from across Colorado gathered for the second annual Colorado Avalanche Youth Development Camp, presented by Toyota. The camp featured on-ice sessions with special guest coaches, dryland workouts and a video meeting with Avalanche Video Coach Brett Heimlich. Among the guest coaches on the ice were current Avs Brock Nelson, Logan O’Connor and Josh Manson, along with former Colorado players Milan Hejduk, John-Michael Liles and Mark Rycroft. The camp provided an unforgettable experience for the participants while showcasing the Avalanche’s commitment to growing the game.
"Year two of our Avalanche Youth Development Camp was incredibly special and seeing it grow from our first year was really rewarding,” said Jason Baskind, Avalanche Youth Hockey Program Coordinator. “At the end of the day, it's about more than just a fun hockey camp. We want these kids to feel connected to the Avalanche organization. For many of these players, getting to learn from current Avalanche players, coaches and alumni is something they may never forget. If we can give these kids a once-in-a lifetime Avalanche-branded experience while inspiring them to continue playing hockey, then we have accomplished what we set out to do."
Avalanche Youth Hockey Program Coordinator Jackson Woodcock said the camp is about giving young children an opportunity to connect with the Avalanche brand while exposing them to NHL players and coaches.
“As a kid growing up, some of my most prominent hockey memories came from opportunities like this,” Woodcock said. “I feel like these days, hockey can be so serious, especially for young kids. Our goal was to give these guys something where they could still get high-level coaching but just enjoy the game and have fun where it really matters. It was also so awesome to see the way that the players, coaches, and alumni interacted with the kids. It’s just awesome to see everyone’s love for the game from all different levels shared in one place.”
When speaking about the on-ice sessions, O’Connor, Behrens and Nelson all said they had a great time and enjoyed giving back to the community.
“Even growing up, being a kid out there, I remember when NHL players would come out for hockey camps or a random day on the ice,” O’Connor said. “Those are memories I remember. And I hope for those kids, I can pay that forward a little bit to them.”
Behrens said attending camps like these when he was a child helped give him goals and dreams to look up to.
“Tt was something that I did a decent amount growing up,” Behrens said. “And it’s nice to be on the other side of it now.”
It was clear that both the Avs and youth hockey players at the camp had a great time playing hockey, which is something Nelson said is important to emphasize.
“I think sometimes maybe that gets lost a little bit just in today’s [day in age], across all of sports,” Nelson said. “And I think you see the excitement of the kids out there, and they're just having the best time. And I think that just brings you back to the days of when you [had] no stress, no worries and you're still out there having fun with friends, and it just makes for a great couple of hours.”
The weekend was a celebration of the game of hockey and its growth in the State of Colorado.
