Meyers Arrives in Colorado and Reflects on 'Surreal' Experience

The last 48 hours were a whirlwind to say the least, for the newest addition to the Colorado Avalanche organization centerman Ben Meyers.
The 23-year-old, who spent the last three years playing Division l hockey and captaining the University of Minnesota Gophers to a 2022 Frozen Four berth, arrived in Denver late on Wednesday night hours after making his decision to sign a two-year contract with the Avalanche through the 2022-23 season.

"The whole experience for me was pretty surreal," Meyers said with a smile as he sported an Avalanche hoodie with No. 59 printed on his arm and addressed the media from the podium on Thursday night just minutes before Colorado dropped the puck against New Jersey. "There were some other opportunities, but I just felt like I had the chance to choose a great team and a great organization. I felt like this was the best opportunity for me to keep developing on and off the ice."

It had already been a jam-packed junior year of hockey for Meyers, who led the Gophers in scoring with his 41 points (17G, 24A) through 34 games including game-deciding strikes (5) and overtime goals (2). He had also represented Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China where he produced four points (2G, 2A) through as many games. Heading into Minnesota's Frozen Four playoff run, the Delano, Minn. native was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and was one of three hat trick finalists for the Hobey Baker Award which is annually awarded to the top player in college hockey.
And while he hadn't fully processed the emotions of his college career ending in heartbreak on April 7 in a 5-1 loss to Minnesota State, he shifted his attention towards the promising opportunities on the horizon that weekend where he ultimately made the decision to pursue his professional career in Colorado.
"I just felt that it was the best decision to move on," Meyers said. "I'm just excited to be here now and focus on being a hockey player."
The undrafted free agent was of interest to many other NHL organizations, but Meyers was drawn to the opportunity to join the Avalanche given their winning culture and development opportunities. He also received some helpful insight from former Minnesota teammate and current member of the Colorado Eagles, Sampo Ranta - who was drafted in the third round (78th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Avalanche - and from fellow Minnesotan Hunter Miska.
Despite not being eligible to join the Avalanche in the upcoming postseason, the 5-foot-11, 194-pound left shot is looking forward to the opportunity to hopefully make his NHL debut at some point in the remaining eight regular season games and to having the opportunity to learn from the team itself.

"I want to be a 200-foot player," Meyers said. "A guy with a high motor. A guy who competes every night, has some skill and competes as well."
That dream is becoming a reality and certainly has begun to already set in as Meyers joined some current members of the Avalanche for an optional skate at Ball Arena on Thursday morning.
"A lot of things set in during that skate," Meyers said. "It was still pretty cool to be on the ice with those guys."
And while the whole experience was, "like nothing [Meyers] had ever experienced," he's officially embarked on his new chapter of professional hockey as a member of the Avalanche.