Several Avalanche prospects will have a chance to stand out at the 2026 Rookie Faceoff, including Ilya Nabokov, T.J. Hughes, Sean Behrens and other intriguing names.
The Avalanche have several intriguing prospects to watch at this year's Rookie Faceoff.
The Colorado Avalanche sent an email to credentialed media with the following roster for the 2026 Rookie Faceoff.
Well, let's talk about some of them.
Ilya Nabokov Is Making A Strong Impression
Ilya Nabokov has looked absolutely tremendous throughout all of the optional skates The Hockey News has attended this season.
He has a great glove and appears to be transitioning to the North American style of play very well. That's an encouraging sign for the Avalanche — and potentially a bad one for Trent Miner, who has been the starter with the Colorado Eagles for a number of seasons.
It should be an interesting battle.
Sean Behrens Needs To Stand Out
Sean Behrens is back for another campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury a couple of years ago.
The injury was certainly a setback, but Behrens remains one impressive skater. The problem is, you could say the same thing about a lot of the players around him.
He's 23 years old, and if he wants to stick around the Avalanche organization, he'll need to find a way to stand out. This camp presents a big opportunity to do exactly that.
Alex Gagne And Gustav Stjernberg
Alex Gagne likely has the best chance of this group to play some NHL games this season. He's looked good and is one of the more impressive prospects in the Avalanche system.
Gustav Stjernberg is another dark horse candidate worth watching.
The Avalanche signed the 23-year-old to a two-year contract near the end of last season after he came out of Bowling Green State University. He has a very underrated release and could make some noise at the Rookie Faceoff.
T.J. Hughes Could Be Special
T.J. Hughes is probably going to be one of the most-watched players in this group.
He's looked tremendous throughout the entire offseason. The Avalanche signed Hughes out of Michigan last year, and he showed up in Loveland and immediately looked like a stud.
He was absolutely blazing.
Sources say Hughes was a tremendous leader at Michigan, and watching him work one-on-one in recent days while listening to captain Gabe Landeskog's instructions — and then applying those tips to a T — was a beautiful display.
The Avalanche may have a truly special player on their hands.
We'll see how it turns out.
Keep An Eye On Matt DiMarsico
Matt DiMarsico is another one of Colorado's college signees. The Avalanche signed him out of Penn State University, and if you see DiMarsico with the puck on his stick, the suggestion is simple: Look out.
He has a cannon of a release.
Two More Names To Watch
Grant Ahcan is the younger brother of former Avalanche and Eagles defenseman Jack Ahcan, while Maxim Barbashev is another intriguing name on the roster.
Barbashev is the younger brother of Ivan Barbashev, who has made a name for himself around the NHL as a physical, hard-hitting forward.
Maxim is under contract with the New Mexico Goatheads for the upcoming season, but this will be a good opportunity to see what he can do against some of the top young talent from around the NHL.
There are plenty of names to watch when the Avalanche take the ice in San Jose, but these are a few of the players who immediately stand out.
Below is a picture of the roster released by the Avalanche.
