Avalanche Practice Ahead of Opening Night

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--The Colorado Avalanche returned to the ice for practice at Family Sports Center on Monday morning ahead of its 2021-22 season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
The team made its final adjustments for the opening night roster, reassigning defensemen Justin Barron and Jacob MacDonald, and forward Mikhail Maltsev to the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles.
Colorado is now carrying 22 players, including 12 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders. Blueliner Devon Toews will begin the season as an injured, non-roster player. He joined the group for Monday's session in a red, non-contact jersey as he recovers from offseason surgery.

Rookies Alex Newhook, Bowen Byram and Sampo Ranta were part of the final roster and will start their seasons in the NHL.
Veteran Jack Johnson, who attended training camp as a professional tryout, signed a one-year contract with the organization on Sunday morning following the final preseason matchup.
Johnson has skated in 950 career NHL regular-season games, tallying 303 points (71 goals, 23 assists) and ranks 22nd all-time among American-born defenseman in games played. The D-man's career has included stints with the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers.
With the final roster set for opening night, the team skated as one group during the Monday morning practice.
Erik Johnson on the season ahead: "I'm excited to get back of course. Especially it will feel kind of like a normal season with fans back, so I am excited for that as well. To play in front of sold-out buildings, get on the road with the guys again, be able to leave the hotel and go for dinner and just hang out with each other- that is all stuff that I missed and just being able to be on the ice."

Jack Johnson on finding out the Avs wanted to sign him: "It was late after the game [on Saturday]. My agent texted me saying that the organization was happy and wanted to move forward so I was thrilled about it. I am really excited to be a part of this team, have a chance to win and I'm at the point in my career that that's all you want to do….Before I left my wife was out with my oldest daughter. Her purse was hanging in the car, and she looked in and saw three-dollar bills in the purse and she said 'Dad I really hope you make the team because moms only got three dollars left'."
Sampo Ranta on being on a line with Alex Newhook and J.T. Compher: "I think the biggest thing is we have to win battles, we have to skate hard, be good on the forecheck. Be good on both ends of the ice, you know offensively, defensively, make plays and most of all play hard."

Practice Line Combinations

92 Gabriel Landeskog - 29 Nathan MacKinnon - 96 Mikko Rantanen
13 Valeri Nichushkin - 91 Nazem Kadri - 95 Andre Burakovsky
18 Alex Newhook - 37 J.T. Compher - 75 Sampo Ranta
43 Darren Helm - 17 Tyson Jost - 25 Logan O'Connor
49 Samuel Girard - 8 Cale Makar
4 Bowen Byram - 6 Erik Johnson
3 Jack Johnson - 28 Ryan Murray
7 Devon Toews* - 56 Kurtis MacDermid
35 Darcy Kuemper
31 Jonas Johansson
\- Denotes non-contact participant*