Rookie Rewind: Mark Alt

ColoradoAvalanche.com is profiling players who just completed their rookie seasons with the organization. This installment takes a look at defensemn Mark Alt.
When Mark Alt was claimed on waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers by the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 26, he received a new chance with his new club.
"I am really excited for the opportunity," Alt said at the time. "Obviously it was unexpected, I thought it was going to be more of a paper transaction to keep me eligible for the AHL playoffs, but I'm excited about it.
"I had been there for five years. I think for me, my game is starting to take the next level. I am more mature now, I am 26. I have been in the league a little bit longer so I think change is a new opportunity. I am excited about it, and I just want to see where it goes."

Alt had skated in eight NHL games and 23 AHL games (five goals, five assists) with the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms during the 2017-18 season before joining Colorado. Prior to turning pro in 2012-13, the Kansas City, Missouri, native played for the University of Minnesota registering 39 points (seven goals, 32 assists) in three seasons.

"He's played some games here and is showing some signs of maturing," Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said of Alt after claiming the defenseman on waivers. "He's getting that opportunity right now. He had a little bit of opportunity this year. He's big. He's a defender, and he can move the puck out."
After arriving in Denver, Alt continued to develop and learn from the coaches as well as his teammates in practices for a month and he was ready to make his mark.
"Stay at home defenseman, that's kind of what I have been doing the last few years," Alt said of how he plays. "Especially with Philly, that's what they kind of honed me in on, stay at home. I can jump up in the play, I can skate pretty well but mostly just staying at home, a lot of PK minutes."
Alt made his Avalanche debut at Pepsi Center versus the Vegas Golden Knights on March 24, his ninth NHL game of the season--his last coming on Dec. 7 with the Flyers.
"I felt it went really well," Alt said after his first game with the club. "It took a little adjustment to get back into the pace of the game, but after a few shifts I felt really comfortable. It's helped to play with guys like [Erik Johnson], and kind of settle me down and get me back into the flow of things.
"I've been trying in practice to create game-like situations and I think that helped out a little bit. Obviously, you can't mimic the game in practice, but I try my best and I thought it went pretty well today. It felt good. That atmosphere was a blast. It felt like a playoff game and it was just a ton of fun."

The blueliner was on the ice for 10:58 in the contest and finished the game with two hits and two blocked shots to help the Avs beat the Golden Knights 2-1 in a shootout victory.
"Alt has been looking real good at practice. I like the way he moves the puck, good details, plays with pace," head coach Jared Bednar said after the game." He played a really good game for us tonight. He's a right-handed shot. He can get his shot through to the net. He moved the puck efficiently, defended hard, smart player, kind of what we saw in practice. I want to give him a crack and see if he can step in and help our team win."
A couple days later, Alt faced off against his former team after proving to be solid depth for the Avalanche and appearing in the previous three outings. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound defenseman finished the game against Philadelphia with four shot attempts, one hit, one takeaway and one blocked shot in 12:12 of ice time.
"I thought he was good again. Just simple, makes plays, defends hard," Bednar said of Alt following the game. "He gets his shots through. He had one good look that just missed, one at the end of the game there."
In the regular-season finale, the Avs faced off against the St. Louis Blues in a winner-moves-on showdown. Alt helped the team to a 5-2 victory with one shot on net and 8:03 of ice time to help clinch a spot in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Although Mark Alt didn't see any game action during the playoff run, he gained experience throughout the Avs' first round matchup against the Nashville Predators.
The defenseman inked a two-year deal with the Avalanche on May 10 and will look for a roster spot in 2018-19.