Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar is using training camp and exhibition games to evaluate his young players and the new ones on the team.
Colorado's head coach Jared Bednar said training camp and the first two exhibition games are for evaluation.
The Avalanche face off against the Minnesota Wild in the first pre-season game of the 2023-24 season on Sunday afternoon at Ball Arena.
"It's always the same in training camp, the same sort of philosophy for me," Bednar said after the final day of training camp. "You've got to be able to teach and explain your systems in great detail in the video, then we go work on whatever systems we taught that day out on the ice."
Bednar said he was going to work with the players on special teams video before the first exhibition games to get them up to speed with that aspect of the game. But the majority of the focus for pre-season is to get all the players on the same page with the system.
"Camp and exhibition games is still meant for evaluating all the guys that you have here. Are the young guys taking a step? Are they getting close? Are the free agents you brought in — what type of roles do you think they can play for your hockey team? Who can play for your hockey team?
"And for the veteran guys coming back, part of their responsibility is leading those guys in the right direction and sort of relaying the culture we have here just kind of an example of how we're going to go to work every day."
The top line in Sunday's game is Miles Wood, Ross Colton and Tomas Tatar. Other veterans on the ice are Jack Johnson and Brad Hunt.