Jost Eager To Play In Front Of Family In Edmonton

Rookie Tyson Jost has been really looking forward to this Western Canada road trip that the Colorado Avalanche is currently on.
Not only is it a chance for Jost to return to the stomping grounds where he played his youth and junior hockey, but it's also a chance for friends and family to watch him skate in their own NHL backyards for the first time.
Maybe no game on the trip will be bigger for Jost than this evening's when the Avalanche plays at the Edmonton Oilers for the first time this season. Jost is from St. Albert, Alberta, a city just 25 minutes northwest of Edmonton and the Oilers were the team he grew up watching.

"I'll have a lot of people in the stands. It'll be a lot of fun to have them there," Jost told ColoradoAvalanche.com on Monday prior to the team leaving for the road trip. "It'll definitely be a dream come true. Actually, I was just thinking on the way to the rink today how cool it will be to play in that rink and playing in front of my friends and family."
The Avs' Canadian swing began on Tuesday versus the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia, a province that Jost also knows well. He spent his teenage years in the Okanagan Valley, which is four hours northwest of Vancouver. He first played at the Pursuit of Excellence school in Kelowna before skating for two years with the Penticton Vees in the BC Hockey League.
Drafted 10th overall by the Avs in the 2016 NHL Draft, Jost played college hockey last season at North Dakota before signing his entry-level contract with Colorado on March 29. The 19-year-old played in the Avalanche's final six games of the season and has been with the squad for nearly all of the current campaign, except for a two-week rehab stint with the San Antonio Rampage in November.

Jost has recorded three goals and seven assists this season, but he has been limited to 32 of the Avalanche's 49 games due to various injuries. He's been feeling better about his game recently, as he's recorded two assists in the last four contests and has generated several Grade-A scoring chances for both himself and his linemates.
"I've been getting a lot of chances. I just have to keep playing the way I am," Jost said last week. "I like how my game has been so far. I'm getting those chances, and it's nice to see, but now I want to put them in the back of the net."
The Canadian made his first NHL trip back to his home country prior to the All-Star Break with the Avs playing games at the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
"I always watched Hockey Night in Canada, [Toronto and Montreal were] always on. I remember as a little kid that I was pissed off because they were always playing when my Oilers should have been on," Jost said after of playing in Canada. "It is awesome. It is a great atmosphere, and you can tell how much the country loves their hockey. It was pretty special for me to play in those two arenas."
Thursday's outing at the nearly brand-new Rogers Place will likely be even more significant.
Jost's mother, sister and grandfather have all made the long journey from Alberta to see him play in Denver and in other U.S. cities over the past year. This time, the trip for them and other family and friends is just a quick drive down Alberta Highway 2 to downtown Edmonton.
"It'll be nice to say hi to the family again," Jost said. "I'll probably go over for a home-cooked meal, it doesn't get much better than that. I'm really excited to play in Edmonton, it's a team I grew up watching. It'll definitely be really exciting for me."

MACKINNON INJURY UPDATE

Further evaluation of Nathan MacKinnon's upper-body injury revealed that the Avs center will miss two-to-four weeks, head coach Jared Bednar said after Thursday's morning skate in Edmonton.
MacKinnon returned to Denver on Wednesday for additional tests after getting hurt in the second period of the Avalanche's game at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. He was originally listed as day-to-day.
Alex Kerfoot will take MacKinnon's spot on the top line with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen to begin tonight's contest at the Oilers. The rookie center played with the two wings on Tuesday after MacKinnon left the game.

VARLAMOV ACTIVATED

Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was activated from injured reserve on Thursday morning, and he will serve as Jonathan Bernier's backup Thursday.
Bernier, who was named the NHL Third Star for the month of January, will play in his 13th consecutive game. He has started in each of the 11 games that Varlamov has been out with a lower-body injury. Varlamov last played Jan. 2 versus the Winnipeg Jets.
Prior to departing on the road trip, head coach Jared Bednar alluded to the possibility of Varlamov playing in one of the games after getting some full practices in. Colorado concludes the trek on Saturday in Winnipeg.
To make room for Varlamov on its active roster, the Avs reassigned goalie Andrew Hammond to his American Hockey League team in Belleville. Hammond was Bernier's backup for the last month but didn't see any ice time.