For Colorado Avalanche fans, Sunday night offered a little bit of everything — established NHL regulars, intriguing prospects and perhaps a glimpse at what the next generation of the organization could eventually look like.
And while the veterans naturally command most of the attention, it was the kids who stole the show.
Advertisement
Beckett Hamilton, the 18-year-old third overall pick, scored in his preseason NHL debut. So did Taylor Makar, the younger brother of two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, giving both prospects a memorable first taste of preseason NHL action.
Gavin Brindley, who is at least a fringe contender for a spot on the opening-night roster, provided another highlight, finishing off a scintillating 2-on-1 rush after Nazem Kadri found him for one of the easiest backdoor tap-ins he may ever have.
Then there was Ilya Nabokov.
The highly touted goaltending prospect out of Russia made his North American debut and stopped 16 of 17 shots after taking over for Mackenzie Blackwood, who opened the game by stopping all seven shots he faced.
Advertisement
Colorado’s youngest players repeatedly gave Avalanche fans something to watch and it certainly did not go unnoticed by head coach Jared Bednar.
Brindley, in particular, was impossible for Bednar to miss. The young forward immediately caught the Avalanche head coach’s eye and remained one of Colorado’s most noticeable players throughout the night.
“I noticed (Gavin Brindley) right away — the competitiveness, the speed of the game, his skating,” Bednar said, via Avalanche beat reporter Jesse Montano. “He’s quick all over the ice. He was relentless on pucks.”
Those same qualities were evident in Makar, who Bednar grouped alongside Brindley after seeing both young forwards make an immediate impact.
Advertisement
“I put Taylor Makar in that same category,” Bednar said. “Funny, they both end up scoring too because of the same type of thing — quickness, effort, competitiveness.”
Bednar also singled out T.J. Hughes for his work on the power play, where the young forward displayed the vision and timing to consistently create offensive opportunities.
“He kind of stood out, especially on the power play,” Bednar said. “Smart, just moves it apart, you know, with great timing to the right guy, made a bunch of offensive plays.”
Nabokov rounded out an impressive night for Colorado’s young players, making several key saves after taking over in net and showing Bednar plenty to like in his first North American appearance.
Advertisement
“Nabakov was great in goal too,” Bednar said. “No chance on the first one, makes a big save. The rebound comes to him after, like, a couple turnovers and an extended, tired group out there.”
Blackwood, meanwhile, quietly did exactly what the Avalanche needed to open the game, stopping all seven shots he faced before the goaltending change.
“Blackwood was really good too,” Bednar said. “For the first half, he wasn’t tested that much, but made a couple huge saves right before he got, uh, before we made the switch.”
The performance was particularly interesting considering where Colorado’s young talent has landed in preseason prospect evaluations.
Advertisement
The Avalanche entered the season with one of the NHL’s least-regarded prospect pools. Corey Pronman’s pipeline rankings for The Athletic placed Colorado 32nd out of 32 teams, while Utah was ranked fifth by Daily Faceoff in its 2026-27 prospect pool rankings.
One preseason game obviously does not erase an organizational ranking, nor should it. But Sunday provided an encouraging glimpse at a group that has been questioned throughout the offseason.
Read the full article here
