Eurolanche

European Avs (2.)

In this miniseries, we take a look at all 59 European players, who have suited up for the Colorado Avalanche at least once, either during the regular season, or during the playoffs. The following stats were taken mainly from AvalancheDB.com and have been updated after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. The players are ranked in descending order based on the number of points they recorded during their tenure in Denver.

11. Jan Hejda - 286 games, 59 points (13 goals, 46 assists)

The Czech defenseman got into the NHL as a 28-year-old. Following a year in Edmonton, he spent the next four season in Columbus and the four seasons afterwards in Colorado. He was a consistently solid shutdown defenseman and was a great role model for younger players. A lot of fans considered his departure from Denver as premature, as a similar type of player was lacking on the roster during following seasons. He played a couple of games in the AHL before retiring in 2015. He won the World Championship once. 

12. Uwe Krupp - 144 games, 55 points (13 goals, 42 assists)

The scorer of the Cup-clinching goal in 1996. A dependable defenseman. He also played for Buffalo, the New York Islanders, Detroit and Atlanta. He considerably contributed to the growing popularity of the NHL in Germany and opened the way for his countrymen to the league. He’s currently a head coach. He retired in 2002. 

13. Mikhail Grigorenko - 149 games, 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists)

Came to Colorado as part of the O’Reilly deal. He was supposed to be a promising offensive prospect, but bolted to the KHL after two seasons in Colorado as an unwanted player, who had attitude and work ethic issues. 

14. Ville Nieminen - 104 games, 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists)

A power forward, whose goals in key games helped the team win the Cup in 2001. After being traded away, he continued his career in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Calgary, the New York Rangers, San Jose and St. Louis. He spent the last eight years of his career in Finland and in the KHL before retiring in 2015. He was known to have a great character. He still works in the business of hockey in his homeland. 

15. Karlis Skrastins - 275 games, 42 points (9 goals, 33 assists)

He played 495 games in row, which set a modern NHL record among defensemen. He arrived in Colorado from Nashville and immediately established himself as one of the toughest players on the team. The Avs traded him after three seasons to Florida and he also spent two years in Dallas. He opted to go to the KHL in 2011, a decision which proved fateful. He died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash in 2011. 

16. Mikko Rantanen - 84 games, 38 points (20 goals, 18 assists)

A current member of the Avs, drafted two years ago. He began his career in his native Finland. The team expects a lot from him and the coaches consistently play him on the top lines. 

17. Antti Laaksonen - 122 games, 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists)

He played for Minnesota and Boston before spending a year and half in Colorado. He graduated from the University in Denver. He made a great impression during his first season in Denver, but wasn’t as successful the following season, falling out of favor and being demoted to the AHL. He spent the last three years of his career in Europe before ultimately retiring in 2010. 

18. Ruslan Salei - 101 games, 34 points (8 goals, 26 assists)

Belarus’ most talented hockey player. He began his NHL career in the mid-90’s, spending his first decade overseas in Anaheim. He played the next two seasons in Florida and then spent two seasons in Denver. He was injured during the majority of his stay with Colorado. His NHL career continued in Detroit. Like Skrastins, he also went to the KHL in 2011. He died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslav plane crash the same year. 

19. Teemu Selanne - 78 games, 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists)

The Finnish legend had the worst season of his career in Colorado. He signed with the Avalanche prior to the 2003-04 season together with his longtime teammate Paul Kariya. Both failed to live up to expectations, with Selanne even being a healthy scratch on several occasions. His Avalanche tenure was a far cry from his successful seasons in Winnipeg, San Jose and Anaheim, where he spent 15 years. He recorded 132 points as a rookie during the 1992-93 season. He won the Stanley Cup once, along with a number of individual awards. He was a team consultant for Finland during last year’s World Cup. 

20. Jaroslav Hlinka - 63 games, 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists)

One of the many European experiments of Colorado. He came to the NHL as a 31-year-old. He only played a single season in Denver, after which he returned to Europe, where he still plays for Sparta Prague. He won the World Championship once. He hails from a well-known hockey family. 

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European Avs (1.)

On the occasion of the NHL Global Series, we bring you a series of articles about the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL in Europe and European players.