European Avs (3.)
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.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.
21. Andrei Kovalenko - 26 games, 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists)
Another Russian brought over back when the team was still in Quebec. He was traded to Montreal during the inaugural season in Denver. He later played for Edmonton, Philadelphia, Carolina and Boston. He spent the following seven seasons in the Russian league, where he retired in 2008. He consistently put up good numbers.
22. Jari Kurri - 70 games, 22 points (5 goals, 17 assists)
Another Finnish legend and experiment by the Avalanche. A five-times Stanley Cup Champion with Edmonton. He also played for LA, the New York Rangers and Anaheim. He came to Denver as a 38-year-old and officially retired after a mediocre season in 1998. He currently fills in top managerial roles in Finland.
23. Tomas Fleischmann - 22 games, 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists)
The talented Czech forward spent almost six seasons in Washington, once putting up more than 51 points. He came to Colorado prior to the trade deadline. He made a good impression and was expected to re-sign with the team, but ultimately didn’t. The Avs gave him up for free due to problems stemming from a blood clot. Despite his condition, Tomas played five more seasons for Florida, Anaheim, Montreal and Chicago. He retired as a 32-year-old in 2016 probably due to health problems.
24. Andreas Martinsen – 110 games, 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists)
The skilled Norwegian third-liner got his first shot in the NHL with Colorado as a 25-year-old. He was traded after less than two years to Montreal for Andrighetto, who has been great for Colorado. Martinsen currently plays in the AHL.
25. Sven Andrighetto - 19 games, 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists)
He spent three years in Montreal, where he rose through the ranks from the juniors. He scored 28 points during those three seasons and is currently on pace to surpass his previous career high in Colorado. He’s been fantastic since coming over to Colorado.
26. Martin Rucinsky - 22 games, 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists)
His NHL journey began in Edmonton, where he played two games. He spent the next four years in Quebec, beginning the fifth one in Colorado, later becoming part of the trade package for Roy and Keane after 22 games. He played seasons for Montreal, later continuing his career with Dallas, the Rangers, St. Louis and Vancouver. It’s worth noting that he returned to the Rangers twice and once to the Blues. He retired in 2015 after seven seasons in the Czech league. He once won both the Olympics and the World Championship.
27. Vaclav Nedorost - 67 games, 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists)
Another Czech youngster drafted by the Avs at the turn of the millennium. He had a tough time making Colorado’s star-studded roster. His career was marred by injury right from the beginning. He was traded to Floride after a year and a half, where his NHL career soon came to an end. Since 2004, he played in the Czech league and in the KHL. He currently plays in the second-tier Czech league. Eurolanche did an interview with him as part of the article about the Avalanche’s training camp in Stockholm in 2001.
28. Riku Hahl - 92 games, 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists)
He came to the NHL as a 21-year-old, playing three seasons for Colorado. He was mostly subpar. He also appeared at the World Cup in 2004. He spent the rest of his career in Europe and in the KHL, retiring in 2016.
29. Andrei Nikolishin - 49 games, 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists)
He played back when the Hartford Whalers were still an NHL franchise. After six seasons in Washington and one in Chicago, he came to Colorado, but didn’t impress. Between 2004 and 2012, he played in the Russian league and in the KHL, but played his final season in Ukraine. He was later a head coach in the KHL. He won the World Championship once.
30. Mikkel Boedker - 18 games, 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists)
A similar case as Fleischmann – he also arrived in Denver prior to the trade deadline, put up solid numbers, but opted not to re-sign with the team. Rumor has it he fell out with then-head coach Roy. He spent the majority of his career in Arizona and has played the last two seasons in San Jose, where he’s currently just a bottom-line forward.
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Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
06/11/2017 - 14:00
