As an annual tradition leading up to the fresh NHL season, we try to predict how many players will receive their NHL debut in a Colorado Avalanche sweater in the 2025-26 campaign. Undoubtedly it is a momentous occasion to witness a player, either an inexperienced prospect, free agent from Europe or journeyman minor leaguer, achieve their dreams and play in their first game in the NHL. There’s usually some easy calls but also big surprises when the debuts are revealed. Now we’ll both tally the previous
year and predict the upcoming season.
Last Year’s Results
In an epic year which saw the Avalanche dress 50 players in the 2024-25 season, we were way off on the consensus prediction of three as instead there there was a bonanza of nine NHL debuts. From the expected Calum Ritchie, Jere Inala and Trent Miner to a complete cast of unsuspecting Colorado Eagles call-ups from the likes of Ivan Ivan and Nikita Prishchepov plus older AHLer debuts from Wyatt Aamodt, Chase Bradley and Matt Stienburg. Even Tye Felhaber had an AHL contract turned into an Entry Level Contract and he made his NHL debut as well. Defenseman Sean Behrens’ season ending injury prevented him from making his debut or else he, too, would likely have been on the list.
This Year’s Candidates
An abbreviated list is expected for the forthcoming season but nobody saw last year’s barrage coming either, so perhaps we should keep that in mind. Still, until new faces are added we can only work with who currently has a contract with the Avalanche and has yet to make their NHL debut. Remember, this exercise doesn’t count players new to the organization who already have a NHL game to their name, so those players such as Gavin Brindley and Danil Gushchin do not count.
First up on the back end, the long awaited NHL debut for Sean Behrens should come to fruition if he has a healthy and productive year. There’s a wide range of opinions on how serious the organization takes the left handed defenseman as a real option for the Avalanche but as one of their few prospects at the position of defense, Behrens should at least get in a couple games. Newly signed NCAA free agent defenseman Alex Gagne might get on the radar with a strong start in Loveland, too.
The forward group is more a mixed bag of older players who should see an opportunity to play at the highest level due to their age and more organizational urgency on shorter contracts. Everyone is awaiting power forward Taylor Makar to play in a game with his brother Cale, which would be very meaningful to the Makar family. Cooper Gay is another recent NCAA signing with his age as 23-years-old and size at six-foot-five to get a quick look in the NHL as well.
Perhaps the most likely to don an Avalanche sweater is Zakhar Bardakov who was acquired from New Jersey a year ago but has recently signed his ELC. He too brings age (24) and size along with five years experience in the KHL. The Russian center has practiced almost exclusively with the NHL group in training camp and is primed for a spot in the opening night lineup.
Then there’s arguably Colorado’s top prospect who has signed his Entry Level Contract but isn’t starting the year in North America. That of course is goaltender Ilya Nabokov who will play in the KHL for Metallurg Magnitogorsk one more season but when his season is over next spring he’s free to join the Avalanche — and perhaps then make his NHL debut. Any new NCAA free agent signings at that time could be eligible at that time as well or anyone acquired or signed between now and then. So many possibilities!
What are your predictions, let us know in the comments!
