Avs Close Training Camp Before First Preseason Game

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--After four long days of energetic practices and demanding skate tests, the 2018-19 Colorado Avalanche training camp is complete.
The team wrapped up camp with its fourth day in a row of practices at Family Sports Center. The day once again saw the roster split in half with each group on the ice for a 45-minute session focused on special teams.

"It's huge, special teams are a big part of the game," forward Dominic Toninato said about having a day devoted to the power play and penalty kill. "They can win and lose a game. I think it's important to focus on that right off the hop and get that in guys' heads right away."
The preseason officially begins for Colorado on Tuesday with an exhibition game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Pepsi Center.
"It's good just to get out there against another team and play a game," said veteran Matt Nieto. "We have been waiting all summer for this, so we are all excited to get out there and play a game. We are playing Vegas tomorrow so it will be a tough one."

EVALUTATING CAMP

It was head coach Jared Bednar's third training camp with the Avalanche and he implemented the same conditioning tests he did prior to the 2017-18 season.
"I expected us to come and work hard, and I think that the attitude of our top guys is kind of leading the way in practice, it's been really good," said Bednar. "We are still sort of feeling some things out in practice, but I have liked some of the attention to detail that we have seen and that was as expected. I think our guys are excited to get going."
At the start of camp the roster was split into two on-ice groups that remained consistent through the four days of practice, and Bednar has been able to see some differences between the units.
"The one group I would say has been a little bit better than the other in three days of practice because it's got more veteran forwards," he added. "If you take the roster with MacKinnon's line and Compher's line, then there's a lot of kids on that roster, by design because it's sort of the group that's playing tomorrow. And the other groups practice has been a little more crisp, better systematically, a little bit more pace and tempo and some heaviness to that practice. But, you look at the forward group on the ice there and you see that they are all NHL or American League guys with a couple of guys that are just turning pro, so their standard is set a little bit higher and they know what to expect having been here before."

VETS IN FIRST PRESEASON GAME

After practice, coach Bednar said that last season's top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen will be among the veterans that will be in the lineup for the first of six preseason games for Colorado.
"MacK's line is going to play tomorrow, the (J.T.) Compher line from today--him, (Matt) Calvert, (Logan) O'Connor," Bednar said. "[Semyon Varlamov] is in net. I think we have (Tyson) Barrie, [Erik Johnson] and (Ian) Cole all in on the backend, and there will be a lot of young kids playing."

TIMMINS ON THE ICE

Defenseman Conor Timmins skated Monday with fellow blueliners Sergei Boikov and Nicolas Meloche on the extra sheet of ice during the second practice session.
The three rear guards have not participated in on-ice practices this week, with Timmins being out while under concussion protocol.
"Making progress, slowly but surely," Bednar said about Timmins. "I don't have any update on him, besides the fact that he is going to try skating today and see how it goes."

QUOTABLES

Right Wing Matt Nieto on training camp:"I am feeling good. I think a lot of the guys look good out there, and they are excited to get going. It's been fast paced and we have been having fun every day and pushing each other, so it's been good."

Center Dominic Toninato on participating in his second Avalanche training camp:"It's a huge help, especially playing last year too. Getting that experience, I feel a lot more confident, a little more comfortable. You know the guys--like last year coming in I didn't know anybody. I think that all helps and makes for a better camp I think."

Center Carl Soderberg on playing exhibition games: "I think all the guys are excited for that. Now we have been skating four days in a row here, playing against each other, but we want to play a different team too."

Head Coach Jared Bednar on this year's training camp: "This year's training camp--the schedule, a lot of the systematic drills that we are doing, a lot of the testing--is a repeat of last year. We have thrown in a few different things, I think it's a little bit better schedule for us this year because without the Burgundy/White Game we get a special teams day today before we play, so we have got a little bit more covered without having to rush through it."

CAMP ROSTER

By Number
|
By Position
GROUP 1
Landeskog MacKinnon - Rantanen
Calvert - Compher - O'Connor
Lewis - Shvyrev - Kosmachuk
Saigeon - Beaudin - Henry
Nantel - Dickinson - Boucher
Nemeth* - Cole
Zadorov* - Barrie
Graves - Lindholm
Ottenbreit - De Jong
Grubauer
Martin
Cannata
*practiced in red, non-contact jersey
GROUP 2
Kerfoot - Jost - Kaut
Nieto - Soderberg - Bourque
Andrighetto - Kamenev - Wilson
Greer - Dries - Agozzino
Barron - Toninato - Bass
Girard - Johnson
Geertsen - Barberio
Anderson - Alt
Davis
Varlamov
Francouz