Kaut Earned NHL Opportunity

Martin Kaut's call-up to the NHL level isn't just so the Colorado Avalanche can see first-hand where its 2018 first-round pick's development is at, it's also because the Czech forward has earned the opportunity.
Playing in his second professional season in North America, Kaut received his first recall to the Avalanche on Tuesday morning and will make his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the New York Islanders when the club wraps up a five-game homestand.
"I think for every kid, it's a dream to play in the NHL. So for me it's the same," said Kaut, the No. 16 overall selection in the draft.
After recording 12 goals and 14 assists in 63 games with the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles in 2018-19, the Brno, Czech Republic, native had a slow start to this season before being out for seven weeks while recovering from an injury.

He regained his form since the turn of the calendar year and has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in the past 14 AHL contests and has two goals and five assists in his last eight games with the Eagles.
"He's been working toward this for a year and a half," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. "I think No. 1, we saw a significant improvement in this play from last year's training camp to this year's training camp. He got out to a little bit of a slow start, had some injury trouble as well, and then once he kind of got back playing and settled in and got to his game."
Kaut's journey from Loveland to Denver is in response to a string of injuries to the Avs' forward group in the past week and a half, with the most recent being Mikko Rantanen, who will be out for the next several weeks with an upper-body injury.

The Avalanche's new right wing won't begin his NHL tenure on the same line that Rantanen was on, but he will start the contest versus the Islanders on a combo that includes Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Matt Nieto, two trusted veterans that can help the 20-year-old in the transition to the major leagues.
"[General manager Joe Sakic] and his staff, their viewings, they like what he's been doing recently," Bednar said of Kaut. "Right shot winger, basically something we're looking for to fill that position. It just kind of opens up a spot where you can play with Nieto and Belly and that type of role we see him in, and maybe he'll chip in offensive things too."
Since signing his entry-level contract with the Avalanche following his draft, Kaut's personal goals have been to become a better player and reach the NHL, but this call-up caught him a bit by surprise.
In fact, he was playing video games on Monday evening when he received a call from Eagles head coach Greg Cronin to tell him the good news.
"I played PS4 at like 10:30 or something and the head coach from the Eagles called me, and I looked at my phone and [thought] 'it's Cro, what's up?," Kaut recalled of learning of his call-up. "He told me you're going up, and I was like so glad. I'm glad to be here and just enjoy this."
Kaut said he first talked to his parents following his conversation with Cronin and then called Avs goaltender Pavel Francouz, who helped Kaut in the transition to North America last season when the two played with the Eagles. The two Czechs lived close to each other in Northern Colorado, and Kaut often calls Francouz his "father" given how much time they spent together away from the rink last year.

While Francouz has been 50 miles south this season and playing in the NHL, the two have remained close.
"For sure, if I need something, I just have to ask him, 'What's up Frankie? Can you help me?' It's good for me," said Kaut of staying in touch with his friend.
"We're calling like every day, probably, so he's still my father. I'm glad to be here with him."
When he came over to the United States in 2018, Kaut wasn't unfamiliar with professional hockey as he had played the previous two seasons against men in Czech Extraliga with HC Dynamo Pardubice. However the game on this side of the Atlantic is a bit different than in Europe, it's played faster on a smaller ice surface and attention to detail is often the difference between winning and losing on any given night.
Kaut credits Cronin and the Eagles staff for working with him over the past two seasons in developing his game and making him a better player in his own end of the ice.
"I'm so glad for the coaching staff with the Eagles. The head coach, Cronin, he helped me because I was [not very good in the] defensive zone and on smaller details," Kaut said. "I just improve this thing. I think right now I'm much better there and let's go."
The forward has also become more comfortable off the ice as well, and his understanding and speaking of the English language has improved immensely.
He also recognizes the expectations that are placed on first-round picks, no matter which selection they were. He said on Tuesday that he is ready to prove himself at the top level of the sport.
"You know when I had my draft season two years ago, it was my dream to be drafted," Kaut said. "It doesn't matter if it's first round or second round. But I was 16th overall so I just need to show why I was drafted 16 overall. I'm super excited."
He's now getting his chance.