European Avs (6.)
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. The goalies are ranked in descending order based on the number of wins. A goalie records a played game only if he’s on the ice while the game-winning goal is scored.
1. Semyon Varlamov - 289 games, 139 wins
The Russian goalie was drafted by Washington back in 2006. He came over to the NHL from Russia in 2008, playing three seasons for the Capitals. He was consequently traded to the Avalanche in exchange for two high draft picks. This season is his seventh in Denver. He’s consistently put up good numbers, despite a number of injuries and stretches of mediocre performances. He won the World Championship once.
2. Peter Budaj - 242 games, 101 wins
The Slovak goalie was drafted by the Avs in 2001. He spent three years in the Juniors, coming over to North America in 1999. He spent the following three seasons in the AHL. He earned a spot in the NHL in 2005 and played six seasons for Colorado. His Avalanche tenure was a rollercoaster, stretches of good performances were followed by stretches of subpar games. Nonetheless, he made a good impression.
3. David Aebischer - 174 games, 89 wins
The Swiss goalie had a tough time earning playing time with Patrick Roy still on the team. He made it to the NHL after three seasons in the minors, opting to play in the AHL instead of staying in Switzerland. He was a permanent fixture on the first team’s rosters between 2000 and 2005, serving as the team’s starter during the latter two years. His trade for Montreal’s Jose Theodore is still criticized by many, as a lot of fans think that he never got a real chance to prove himself. Ever since his trade, his career went downhill. He later played on game for Phoenix, which proved to be his last game in the NHL. He played in his native Switzerland between 2007 and 2015, while also spending on season in the AHL in an attempt to make a return to the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup in 2001. Since 2014, he works as a goalie coach.
4. Reto Berra - 35 games, 10 wins
Another Swiss goalie who impressed at international tournaments. His performances earned him a contract with Calgary in 2013. After less than 30 games, he was traded to Colorado. He played two seasons in Denver, posting horrible numbers. He also had brief stints in the AHL. He later signed for Florida, but was demoted to the minors once again. He currently plays for Anaheim.
5. Vitaly Kolesnik - 8 games, 3 wins
The Kazakh goalie only played eight games in the NHL during the 2005-06 season. Afterwards, he only played in the AHL before opting to sign in the KHL, where he won a league championship and has been a permanent fixture on the Kazakh national team. It seems that last season was his last.
6. Tommy Salo - 5 games, 1 win
Colorado was the last stop in the NHL for the Swedish goalie, who is mostly known for the infamous goal he allowed against Belarus at the 2002 Olympics. Before coming to Denver, he played for the New York Islanders, the Denver Grizzlies in the now-defunct IHL and in Edmonton, beginning his career in North America in 1994. After his stint in Denver, he played three season in Sweden, after which chose to retire. Until 2015, he held various positions for a number of hockey teams.
7. Sami Aittokallio - 2 games, 1 loss a 1 game without a statistical entry
The Finn began his career in his homeland and was regarded as a solid goalie prospect in the Avalanche organization. He played in the minors between 2012 and 2014. He played for the Avalanche twice. During one of those games, he fainted due to dehydration and hasn’t played in an NHL game ever since. After two seasons in Finland, he signed for Sparta Prague and has been a member of the team ever since.
8. Roman Will - 1 game without a statistical entry
The Czech goalie came over to North America in 2014. He spent a season in the AHL before earning a call-up to the first team, but only played a couple of minutes in his NHL debut. He’s spent the last two seasons in the Czech league.
The following two players weren’t included in the ranking, as they became members of the Avalanche prior to this season. Andrei Mironov became the 58th and Nail Yakupov the 59th European player to don an Avalanche jersey. Yakupov spent his junior career in Canada before being drafted first overall in 2012. After four mediocre seasons in Edmonton, he was traded to St. Louis but wasn’t very successful during his sole season for the Blues. His stint with the Avalanche is most likely his last chance in the NHL. Mironov has played the past five seasons in the KHL, where he made his name as a solid shutdown defenseman. He played two games for the Avalanche, who drafted him in 2015, by the time this articles was published.
EDIT: Swedish defenseman Patrik Nemeth became the 60th European Avalanche player after being claimed off waivers from Dallas. He has since played 12 games for Colorado, recording 6 points (a goal and 5 assists).
Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
07/11/2017 - 18:00
