J.C. Beaudin was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round (71st overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft after spending the 2014-15 season with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

He recorded 215 points (77 goals, 138 assists) in 195 career contests in the QMJHL over the course of three seasons. In 2015-16, Beaudin finished second on the Huskies in scoring with 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 58 games, helping the team to its first-ever QMJHL championship.

Spotlight On: Nikolai Kovalenko

After getting drafted in the sixth round (171st overall) by the Colorado Avalanche this past summer, Nikolai Kovalenko led his team to gold at the 2018 Russian Junior Club World Cup. He tied for the most points scored with eight (three goals, five assists) and was named best forward and most valuable player for his efforts during the tournament.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, the forward spent the 2017-18 season with Loko Yaroslavl in the Russian junior league (MHL) where he tallied 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). He continued his near point-per-game streak in the playoffs where he recorded 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 13 contests. The 5-foot-10, 174-pound right wing finished sixth in team scoring after his squad won the MHL championship.

Greg Cronin's three decades of experience in hockey will help him as he begins his new role as the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche's American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.  

The Arlington, Massachusetts, native has spent 30 seasons in coaching and was a part of the New York Islanders' coaching staff for the last four years. In total, he has 12 years of experience as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs and two seasons as a bench boss at the AHL level with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

LAS VEGAS--The Colorado Avalanche's offense came alive in the third period of its last game at the Vegas Rookie Faceoff, but the team wouldn't have been able to get the win without a strong performance in net.

Goaltender Petr Kvaca made his second start of the rookie tournament and made 33 saves in the Avs' 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. He faced 10 or more shots each period.

LAS VEGAS--The Colorado Avalanche scored four times in the third period and defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Tuesday afternoon on the final day of the 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff at City National Arena.

Tim McGauley broke a 2-2 tie with 8:20 remaining in the last stanza by burying a wrist shot in the slot after R.T. Rice fed him the puck from the right wall. Brandon Saigeon then added two markers of his own in a matter of 2:12, with the first one ending up as the game-winner and the second coming shorthanded and into an empty net.

The Colorado Avalanche concludes the 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff on Tuesday with a clash against the San Jose Sharks at 12:30 p.m. MT.

It will be the final matchup in the tournament for both clubs made up of rookies, prospects and invites that are participating in the teams' training camps.

LAS VEGAS--The Colorado Avalanche rookies participated in their final practice as a group Monday morning at City National Arena before the team's NHL training camp begins later this week. 

Following the Avalanche's final game at the Vegas Rookie Faceoff on Tuesday, the next time the prospects and rookie camp invites take the ice will be with the club veterans on Friday at Family Sports Center in Centennial, Colorado.

LAS VEGAS--Pre-season rookie tournaments are meant to not only prepare young players to compete with the veterans when NHL training camps begin but to also help them stand out among their peers in front of a plethora of scouts and team executives.

That latter part is especially important for those who have been passed over in the NHL Draft or are fighting for contracts.

Recently-drafted Brandon Saigeon and amateur tryout Matthew Boucher fall into the latter of the two categories for the Colorado Avalanche at the Vegas Rookie Faceoff. The two 20-year-olds are aiming to play pro hockey this year after four seasons of junior hockey.  

LAS VEGAS--The Colorado Avalanche fell 5-2 to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday in the teams' second contest of the 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff at City National Arena.

"We're hockey players, and we hate to lose," said Colorado defenseman Nicolas Meloche. "It's part of the game, but I think every day we're getting better and that's the goal of rookie camp."

The Avs' Matthew Boucher and Brandon Saigeon each scored for the second straight outing, while Cole Reinhardt added an assist. Goaltender Justus Annunen got his first start in net for the Avalanche at the tournament and finished with 32 saves.

The 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff continues for the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks at 6 p.m. MT at City National Arena in Summerlin, Nevada.

It will be the second contest of the tournament for both teams, which consists of rookies, prospects and invites that are participating in the clubs' training camps.