Henley Making NHL Debut Vs. Columbus

There may be no sweeter story in the NHL than that of a player making his debut.
For some, the first contest comes soon after being drafted, like with Colorado Avalanche forwards Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
For others, it takes more hard work and dedication, which they've already spent countless hours providing, to crack the lineup of the top-tier team.

Prospect Samuel Henley is one of the latter, and he'll be skating in his first NHL game when the Avs take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Pepsi Center.
"Honestly, right now I'm a little bit nervous. It's part of the game, but I'm just excited," Henley confessed following Colorado's morning skate. "I'm trying to learn the system as much as possible, to learn from all the guys too, the veterans and everybody. I'm just getting ready for tonight. Really excited and nervous at the same time."

The 23-year-old forward from Val-d'Or, Quebec, signed with the Avalanche as free agent on May 5, 2014, after going undrafted at the conclusion of his five seasons in the QMJHL. He had 69 points (30 goals, 39 assists) in 51 games while captaining his hometown Foreurs to the 2014-15 QMJHL championship, and made his professional hockey debut with the Lake Erie Monsters the following campaign.
Perhaps not the flashiest of players, Henley admitted that while he wanted a shot with Colorado, he never really anticipated getting the chance.
"You never expect the call. You wait for it, but you never really expect it," he said. "So I was really excited, a little bit surprised too, but I'm just excited to be here right now."
It wasn't hard to see the unadulterated joy on his face as he stood in the Avalanche's locker room, fielding questions from the media with an infectious smile. That's what makes a day like this so special for those who strive to play in the league.
"We had the day off in San Antonio yesterday, so I had a late wakeup. I woke up at 10. We were cooking lunch, and then around 1 I got a call from our coach, Eric Veilleux," Henley enthusiastically said of the moment he heard the news. "I was really excited. He told me I was getting called up. I was pretty pumped. Called my parents. My parents were really excited. My mom is going to be here tonight, too. My dad couldn't make it, but I know he's going to be watching the game."
The feel-good moment doesn't end there either, as the 6-foot-4, 210-pound forward received praise from throughout the organization when discussing the reason he and forward Gabriel Bourque were recalled from the San Antonio Rampage on Wednesday.

"Henley, if you remember back to training camp, No. 1 he's our best penalty killer. He was blocking shots, committed defensively," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "It's a guy that's paid his dues in this organization, and he's a physical guy, knows his role, plays to his role. Then the desperation that he plays with on the penalty kill and in certain defensive situations I really like. All of our guys really liked him in camp, so we're going to give him an opportunity tonight.
"I'm throwing them in because we've been getting real good reports from down there; their work ethic, their compete level. They're two real strong penalty killers. We're playing the league's No. 1 power play. We may need them. I think that they've earned that. We're looking for some energy, passion and juice from our forward group tonight. I think those guys can help provide that."
Bednar said Wednesday that he wants snarl from the Avs following Tuesday's disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators; he wants the team to respond with hunger and fervor.
"That's what I'm hoping to get. That's it, meaning physical on pucks, competing hard on pucks, competing to win really at the end of the day," elaborated Bednar. "I think that on a shift-to-shift basis it's real important for us to do that. Nothing else really matters if you don't do that, so we need to see it from our team for a full 60 minutes or longer, whatever it takes.
"I don't want to be too hard on our group, but it's time to see growth. That's one of the things we've talked about. There's players that are dying to play here. It's the best league in the world for a reason, and there's a certain amount of passion that we want and that you need in order to win hockey games. We have the ability today to recall a couple guys to help give us that passion, so that's what we're doing."
Henley will play on a line with Andreas Martinsen and Carl Soderberg, one of whom the rookie is familiar with.
"I played last year a little bit with Marty in San Antonio," Henley said. "They're really good teammates too, really good players. So I know it's going to be fun with them. I'm just going to play my game and hope for the best."
Another player that knows what Henley brings to the lineup is Mikko Rantanen, who also spent the 2015-16 season with San Antonio.
"It's of course nice to see a good buddy getting a first NHL game tonight, and he's for sure excited like everybody who's playing their first game," Rantanen said. "He's a really good player and a hard worker and plays for the team hard. So it's really nice to see him here."

NOVEMBER RAIN

Speaking of Finnish forward Mikko Rantanen, the 20-year-old right wing seems to have found a comfortable spot in the NHL.

After going 13 games without finding his way onto the scoresheet, Rantanen found his scoring touch. He led Colorado with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 14 games in November, becoming only the fourth Avalanche rookie to tally 10 or more points in the month.
"I think the puck is coming for me, and I just try to stay on the puck all the time and work hard," he said of his production. "Our line has been producing a lot the last couple games, so we have to keep doing the things we're doing in the O-zone and be responsible in the D-zone too.
"I feel comfortable. Every game I play, I'm more comfortable. It's getting better all the time, and I feel good out there. No injuries or anything, I'm 100 percent. So it feels good right now."
Rantanen joins Marek Svatos (13 in 2005-06), Kevin Shattenkirk (11 in 2010-11) and Paul Stastny (10 in 2006-07) as a top November producer for Colorado, and he even finished tied for third among NHL rookies in scoring during the month, trailing only Mitch Marner (13) and Patrick Laine (11).
Columbus Blue Jackets rookie defenseman Zach Werenski also had 10 points.
The 6-foot-4, 211-pound forward's success was just a matter of time if you ask his teammates.
"No, I'm not surprised at all. Obviously his first nine or 10 games or whatever, it wasn't really clicking for him, but you could see that it was there and that it was going to come eventually," John Mitchell said. "I'm really not surprised that he's clicking and that he's scoring now and whatnot. I'm really happy for him. I'm proud of him, that he's working so hard and pucks are going in for him."
Rantanen has been a key part of the Avalanche's offense lately as well, putting up seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last five games. He's hoping that the rest of the Avs can follow suit.
"It's just simple hockey. I think everybody is playing their own style and playing well," Rantanen said. "We have a lot of scoring chances from other lines too, but sometimes it is like that, like my start of the year. I had a lot of chances but couldn't produce and put the puck in the net. Now it's the other way around, but I hope all four lines can get some important goals."

MITCHY MILESTONE

When Samuel Henley makes his NHL debut, Avs forward John Mitchell will be reaching a career milestone of his own.

When Mitchell's skates touch the frozen ice at Pepsi Center, the 31-year-old center will have officially appeared in his 500th game.
"I guess that's a pretty big game when you get to 500," he said with a grin. "You grow up being a young kid watching guys play in the NHL, and that's your dream, obviously to someday hopefully play in the National League and get an opportunity to play. I'm very blessed that I've been able to get… to that number."
Mitchell has registered 170 career points (67 goals, 103 assists) to date, including 99 (42 goals, 57 assists) accrued during his four and one-quarter seasons with the Avs.