Nicolas Roy watched Martin Necas develop nearly eight years ago in Charlotte, and now the former teammates are reunited in Colorado with a Stanley Cup in their sights.
DENVER — Nicolas Roy has seen Martin Necas’ career develop from up close.
The two first became teammates with the Charlotte Checkers during the 2018-19 season, when both were still trying to establish themselves within the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
Necas was already showing plenty of offensive ability. He finished third on the Checkers with 52 points, scoring 16 goals and adding 36 assists in 64 games. Roy finished that season with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points.
Nearly eight years later, the two are teammates again.
Only now, they’re doing it in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.
Roy has watched Necas continue to develop since those days in Charlotte, and he said the forward still seems to find another level every year.
Martin Necas has emerged as a bonafide superstar in this sport. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing - Imagn Images“He feels like he’s improving every year,” Roy said. “He’s fun to watch out there. He’s really, really good.”
That’s something Roy has been able to see firsthand.
Necas was still finding his footing when the two played together in the AHL. Since then, he has become one of Colorado’s most dangerous offensive players, using his speed and skill to create chances all over the ice.
“He’s working hard, coming in good shape,” Roy said. “It’s fun to watch out there.”
For Roy, getting back together with Necas has been one of the more familiar parts of what was otherwise a hectic introduction to Colorado.
The Avalanche acquired Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of last season. There wasn’t much time to sit around and think about the move. He had to leave Toronto almost immediately and figure out the rest along the way.
Roy said he had a feeling a trade could happen as Toronto’s season went in the wrong direction. When he found out Colorado was the destination, though, he was excited.
“I always want to play for a team that wants to win,” Roy said. “Obviously joining this team, they finished first and having a chance to win it all was what I wanted. So I was really excited to join this team for sure.”
The hockey side of the move was one thing. Moving his life from Toronto to Colorado in the middle of an NHL season was another.
Roy’s wife played a big role in making it happen. He said she and her family helped with the packing in Toronto, while the Avalanche helped get their belongings shipped to Colorado.
“It was the same day I was leaving,” Roy said. “She was good doing all the boxes and having her family too in Toronto to do all that. So the team also helps with shipping all this stuff to the new location.”
Once Roy got to Colorado, the transition became easier.
He already knew Necas, and several other teammates reached out to him after the trade to welcome him to the team.
“Everybody made it easy for me,” Roy said.
Now Roy is heading into his first full season with the Avalanche, something that gives him a chance to experience Colorado in a completely different way.
Instead of arriving halfway through the year and trying to catch up, he gets a full training camp, a full season and the opportunity to establish himself from the start.
He also gets to watch another young Avalanche player try to make his own impression.
T.J. Hughes scored three goals in a preseason game at Ball Arena against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday before playing alongside Roy the following night against the Utah Mammoth. Roy liked what he saw.
“Really good player,” Roy said. “Got obviously great vision, making really good plays out there. Nice poise as well.”
It’s a perspective Roy can appreciate.
He once watched Necas develop as a young player in the AHL. Now, years later, he’s watching Hughes begin his own journey while trying to establish himself in the Avalanche lineup.
For Roy, though, this season is ultimately about something much bigger than his own adjustment to Colorado.
He came here because he wanted to play for a team that believes it can win.
Last year, he arrived in the middle of the season and had to find his footing on the fly.
This time, he gets to start from the beginning.
And he knows exactly what he wants to accomplish.
Help the Avalanche win another Stanley Cup.
