The fact that
Tyson Jost is taking part in the Avalanche's development camp this week just shows you how serious he is about improving his game and making an immediate impact this season.
Actually, Colorado's 2016 first-round pick (No. 10) has been in the Denver area for the past six weeks, working on and off the ice before he heads back to Kelowna, B.C., to continue his offseason regime.
"My goal this year is to be in the NHL and to be an impact player with the Avs," he said Tuesday. "To be able to do that I have to have a big summer and I think I'm heading in the right direction. I've been in Denver here for over a month and a half training and working out. I think working out at elevation helps, it's a lot tougher.
"I'm doing a lot of on-ice stuff and off-ice stuff. It's exciting. I wanted to be here for my development. I'm always looking for ways to get better and I think this is a good start."
Jost spent last year at the University of North Dakota, where as a freshman he had 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists) in 33 games. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche shortly after the Fighting Hawks were eliminated by Boston University in the NCAA tournament. He played in six Avalanche games and scored his first NHL goal.
"It's humongous," he said of getting a taste of NHL life. "It's not only good for my confidence because I know I can play here, but it's also good because I know I need to work on stuff. I took some pros and cons from that.
"It was a great experience for me, I'm really happy I chose to do that and that the Avs were cooperative with that, letting me come up and spend the last little bit of the season here. I could see how fast it is and what it takes, and getting a little confidence knowing that I can do this."
Jost, who is listed at 5-11 and 191 pounds, has been doing a lot of work with Avalanche strength coach
Casey Bond, and he looks the part. Jost said playing a couple of games against a player like 6-6, 226-pound
Martin Hanzal last season reinforced the idea that he needed to get stronger.
"There are a lot bigger guys," Jost said. "Going against Hanzal, I played Minnesota twice and he's a lot bigger than me. Faceoffs and stuff like that, just getting stronger is important. Quickness too. I think the NHL's playing a pretty fast-paced game. I think that's something that everybody's noticing. You can always look to get quicker."
Jost is a lock to be on the Avalanche's opening-night roster, just don't tell him that.
"I don't think that's my mentality going into it," he said. "I know I need to earn a spot. That's why I've been here for a month and half. That's why I'm going to go home and keep working hard and work my way into the lineup. That's where I want to be, with the Avs. I don't just want to be with the Avs, I want to help them move in the right direction and be an impact player. I have to have a big summer and earn that spot.
"That's just how I was raised. I've talked about my mom before, but she's a big part of it. I was taught that nothing's given to you in life, you have to earn everything you deserve. My mom being a single mom, we had to fight for everything we wanted and we had to earn a lot of things. I just bring that forward to the hockey side of things and keep working hard. Nothing's a guarantee in life."
*****
Here's my
NHL.com story on first-round pick (No. 4)
CALE MAKAR.
*****
I spoke with defenseman
Conor Timmins for an
NHL.com story that's scheduled to run later in the week. The Avalanche's second-round pick (No. 32) admits to being a rink rat; his dad,
Dan Timmins, coached the junior B league Thorold (Ontario) Blackhawks in their hometown.
"I learned a lot from him growing up," he said. "He coached me throughout my whole career, so he's definitely been a big influence on me. That's probably the reason I got into defense, and I've loved it ever since."
Timmins, 18, is coming off a breakout season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. He had 61 points (seven goals, 54 assists) in 67 games.
"He's a puck moving, puck management guy," said
Alan Hepple, the Avalanche's director of amateur scouting. "He can control the game. He's ultra smart, he thinks the game very well. He's maybe not the biggest, most physical guy, but he's always in the right place. He's a guy with offensive ability. He can play on the power play, he can kill penalties because he is smart enough to get himself between the puck and the net."
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