Avalanche Youngsters Make Their Case as First Roster Cuts Arrive
The Colorado Avalanche lost their second game of the preseason, which featured a final score of 3-1 at the Winnipeg Jets.
Georgii Merkulov scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, while goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced. Fabian Lysell and Brett Kulak each tallied an assist for Merkulov's goal. The loss comes after Colorado defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1 in the Avs' preseason opener on Sept. 20.
Colorado's penalty kill showed some strength against Winnipeg, with the first of the night including multiple blocked shots in addition to Parker Kelly grabbing a zone clearance.
Beckett Hamilton, Taylor Makar, Gavin Brindley and Brock Nelson all scored goals in the previously mentioned 4-1 win in the preseason debut. Hamilton and Makar's goals came in their preseason NHL debuts.
The results are just a part of the story. Several young players have already caught Jared Bednar’s attention.
"I noticed Brinds [Brindley] right away," Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar said to NHL.com when asked which players stood out to him from the first preseason game. "The competitiveness, the speed of the game, his skating — he's quick all over the ice. He was relentless on pucks. I put Taylor Makar in that same category. They both end up scoring, too, because of the same type of thing: quickness, effort [and] competitiveness. And for me, Hughes kind of stood out, especially on the power play. Smart; just moves the puck with great timing to the right guy. Made a bunch of offensive plays. And Nabokov was great in goal, too...Blackwood was really good, too."
The Avalanche have also begun reassigning certain players.
Colorado Avalanche Preseason Roster Transactions
Hank Kempf, Jayson Megna, Nikita Novosyolov, Yanick Turcotte and Jake Wise were all assigned to the Colorado Eagles' (AHL) training camp.
In addition — Shawn Carrier, Linus Funck, Teddy Lechner, Alexandre Raymond, Ondrej Ruml and Tobias Tvrznik were all reassigned to their respective junior clubs.
The Avalanche also reassigned Hamilton to his junior club — the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL.
Beckett Hamilton has been reassigned to his respective junior club - Red Deer (WHL)
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 22, 2026
Key Preseason Colorado Avalanche Information to Know
Due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), training camps and preseason are accelerated across the NHL, including Colorado.
The accelerated preseason comes after the Avalanche set a single-season franchise record for points, in addition to winning the Central Division and Presidents' Trophy while also advancing to the Western Conference Final. in the 2025-26 campaign.
Colorado also began last year without losing in regulation for the first eight games — which could be indicative of the Avalanche wanted another hot start for 2026-27 come regular-season play.
The Avalanche will host the Los Angeles Kings on Sept. 30 to officially open the regular-season.
Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered hockey since 2023 and is credentialed for the Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils and PWHL in addition to having covered the 2026 Frozen Four.