After spending most of this month with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, center Ben Meyers is getting another chance in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche. The 24-year-old has been recalled to the NHL roster, per a team announcement.
As mentioned, Myers has been with the Eagles since March 6th, when he was reassigned from the Avalanche’s roster. Meyers has been extraordinarily productive in this recent stretch of AHL games, with a total of 14 points in 11 contests, a run that includes a nine-game point streak.
It’s this prolific run of production that has likely earned him this additional chance with the Avalanche, as his first stretch with the team this year did not go as planned.
From a December 7th game against the Boston Bruins until he was sent down on January 28th, Meyers played in 25 NHL games for the Avalanche and did not register a single point.
His ice time declined from a high of 18:32 on December 9th to a stretch of 11 games in January where he got above 10 minutes of ice time just once, including a game against the Seattle Kraken that despite stretching into a shootout saw Meyers play only four minutes and five seconds.
A college hockey star and coveted NCAA free agent, Meyers’ young NHL career has been underwhelming to this point. He was a Hobey Baker Award finalist, Big 10 Player of the Year, and above-point-per-game scorer as a Minnesota Gopher.
But as an Avalanche, he has faded into the background of most games he’s played. His recent run of strong production in the AHL serves as a reminder of just how impactful he can be, though, and now he’ll get another chance to show what he can do against NHL competition.
Not too many Gophers make the step.
Shoutout to Nate Schmidt in Winnipeg, a kid who grew up in my city’s youth program.