It's a good time for University of Denver and Colorado Avalanche prospect Shawn Behrens. How can you top two national championships in three years? He could have gone for a third straight, but why be greedy? At some point, it's time for a new challenge. For Behrens, that new challenge is professional hockey.
The 2021 second-round draft pick by Colorado signed an entry-level contract on April 19 and managed to sneak in a few games for the Colorado Eagles towards the end of the season. Just being able to hang out with the pro players and soak it all up was a great experience for the 21-year-old.
“It was great to get up on stage and compete, but it was also great just to be with the team,” Behrens said after the first day of development camp. “We had a lot of guys like Brad Hunt and Keaton Middleton who are really good at the little things and really learned from them. It was just great to get up on stage and be with them.”
Behrens has appeared in two games, one in the regular season and one in the playoffs, so it's not a large enough sample size to really get a sense of how he'll adapt at the pro level.
Although it was only two games, he gained some things from it that he can work on over the summer.
“I think it's about being quiet on your feet, not crossing over and not falling over because guys come out of the corners a little quicker (than in the NCAA),” Behrens said. “They find the play a little quicker. Being able to get guys close is something I've worked on throughout my three years at DU and I've gotten better, but at the pro level, you've got to be really good. To be successful at the pro level, you've got to be able to control the defensive zone and be successful in the defensive zone.”
The Avalanche are making it very difficult for Behrens to make the roster for Opening Day. By signing Erik Brannstrom, Calvin de Haan, Calle Rosen and Jacob McDonald, the Avalanche have added depth to their defensive line and dropped Behrens a bit. And let's not forget Sam Malinski, who spent a quarter of last season in the NHL.
Because NCAA prospects are not allowed to attend training camps while in college, this September will be Behrens' first experience in an NHL training camp, and although there will be some personnel shortfalls on the defensive line, he's looking forward to his first camp.
“Yeah, (I'm excited),” he told me. “I want to have a really good camp and see what happens, but I'm excited to get here, get into the organization and hopefully play a few preseason games. But I'm really excited about a new challenge, something different than the last three years.”
On Friday night, you can watch Behrens and all of the Avalanche prospects in a 4-on-4 scrimmage during development camp at Family Sports starting at 4 p.m.
