Perhaps the best name in all of hockey is next in our player review. His name is so nice, you have to say it twice: Ivan Ivan.

Ivan went undrafted and was signed by the Colorado Avalanche somewhat out of the blue. But this year has shown to be a promising development for the Czech forward.

Ivan made the Opening Night roster thanks to hard work and the need to fill the bottom six of the Avs. He made his debut against the Vegas Golden Knights alongside Cal Ritchie.

While not as highly touted as Ritchie’s, Ivan played his part in the bottom six. In 40 games, he scored five goals and three assists. He did this while averaging just over 10 minutes a night.

Ivan also did well, staying out of the penalty box. But he would score in bursts and was never consistently scoring in the NHL, and he dealt with injury. This meant he was less trusted, and eventually fell down the picking order, especially after the Avalanche traded for Juuso Parssinen.

Ivan did not appear in an Avalanche jersey for the rest of the year after his last game on January 22 against the Winnipeg Jets. The writing was seemingly on the wall, especially in the game before on the road against the Minnesota Wild. He only took five shifts and totaled 3:09 on-ice time.

However, he did thrive in his second year in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles. In 36 games, he put up two goals and 10 assists. He put up more points in fewer games than he did in his first year in Loveland. In nine playoff games, he tacked on an additional goal and assist.

He is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will look to try and make himself a mainstay in the Avs’ roster. The 22-year-old and fan-favorite will look to perform heading into the 2025-26 season.

Ivan might just be competing for a roster spot once again in Denver. With the Avalanche moving on from Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood, and trying to make things work cost-wise again, Ivan Ivan might just be another solution should they take a chance on him.

Ivan Ivan interview January 14, 2025