Tyson Jost, entering his third season with the Avalanche, expects big things from himself and the team.
“I want to be in that top-six role,… he said. “I want to contribute and help this team win the Stanley Cup. I’m ready for a bigger role, that’s something I told (coach Jared Bednar). If it’s more pressure, it’s something that I want. It’s exciting.…
The irony is that Jost, the Avalanche’s first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2016 NHL draft, readily acknowledges that he often puts so much pressure on himself to succeed that it becomes counter-productive.
“I’ve done that my whole career,… he said. “I just expect a lot from myself, it’s just my mentality. I want to be the best player on the ice every time I go out there. It’s just how I was raised, it’s just who I am, the type of person I am, the competitive (nature) I have. There’s a balance, though, something I’m learning about for sure.…
Jost, who turned 21 in March, has been working with a sports psychologist and learning ways to relax more, to relieve some of his self-imposed pressure. He said he worked with her during his final two years of junior hockey in Penticton, British Columbia, and spoke with her “two or three times a week… toward the end of last season and this summer before training camp.
“I’ll continue to work with her throughout the season,… he said. “There are just certain things you do to get into a good mindset and release some of that stress and outside pressure. When I’m not performing to the best of my ability, I make that very tough on myself, I guess you could say, but it’s something I’m learning.
"I’m confident in my ability, I know what I can do, and I’m confident I’ll put that ‘right’ pressure, I guess you could say, on myself this year.…
Jost had an up-and-down season last year in more ways than one.
He spent time on the third and fourth lines, missed four games with a head injury and was sent to the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League for eight games from Jan. 19 – Feb. 10.
Jost had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 27 games after returning to the Avalanche, which included a goal and two assists in the final three games. He produced four points (three goals, one assist) in 12 playoff games.
Overall, he finished with a career-high 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 70 games, surpassing his rookie total by four points.
“I finished really strong and was happy with how I was playing,… Jost said. “Last year was definitely an up-and-down season, highs and lows, but I learned from it and used it as fuel. I had a really good summer.…
General manager Joe Sakic said in July, after acquiring Nazem Kadri from Toronto to center the second line, that he anticipated Jost getting a look there at left wing.
So far, Jost has played there with Kadri in the preseason and centered a line with Gabriel Landeskog and Joonas Donskoi. He was on left wing with Kadri and Andre Burakovsky at practice Tuesday.
“We need linemates for Kadri, we need linemates for (Nathan MacKinnon)," Bednar said. "We’re looking at (Jost) in different scenarios. I liked him at center last year, especially at the end of the year. I know he wants the opportunity to play in the top six. He’ll have to earn that with his play. That’s why we’re giving him a crack on the wing in certain scenarios and then in practice I’d like to see him keep working at center as well.…
Jost skated with several players in Vail before camp, including Kadri and MacKinnon.
“I’d seen him play, I know he’s a good player,… Kadri said. “We hit it off right off the bat, he’s an easy guy to get along with. I think this could be a lethal combination.…
Said Jost: “We drove up together, so I got to know him better. It’s going to be an exciting year for us. We had a great year last year, and we’re looking to build on that. We’re not afraid to say it, the Stanley Cup’s the end goal. That’s what I dream of, that’s what this whole entire team dreams of, and that’s what this organization wants.…
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Goalie Pavel Francouz is expected to start Wednesday in Las Vegas in the Avalanche’s fifth preseason game. They will use a mostly young group that includes recent first-round picks Bowen Byram (2019) and Martin Kaut (2018), Shane Bowers, A.J. Greer, Vladislav Kamenev, Calle Rosen and Conor Timmins. Veterans include Matt Calvert, Valeri Nichushkin, Matt Nieto and Nikita Zadorov.