The Colorado Avalanche may have a dark horse back on the blue line this season. This name recently gained recognition among many fans. His name is Jack Ahcan. He has been in the spotlight a lot for Avalanche fans lately. Ahcan played five of the six preseason games for the Avalanche. He even gained national recognition in game three against the Dallas Stars for his fantastic play in the game. For the first time since signing with the Avalanche at the start of the 2023–24 season, he has made the opening night NHL roster.

The utility knife

Ahcan is like a utility knife on the blue line. He can play in every situation, which includes the power play and the penalty kill. He has taken part on both Colorado Eagles special teams units during the past two seasons. The former St. Cloud State captain could end up being a great addition to the struggling Avalanche penalty kill. Adding players like Brent Burns and Zakhar Bardakov alongside Ahcan could make the penalty kill one of the best in the NHL this season.

Ahcan’s physicality

Although the Minnesota native is listed at five-foot, nine-inches tall, his play style doesn’t reflect that. He often takes out players that tower over him, using his low center of gravity to knock them away. Last season, Ahcan also played 62 straight games for the Eagles, becoming their Iron Man in a way. Playing on the top pair with Jacob MacDonald, he averaged 23 minutes a night. The only games he missed were because of the Avalanche’s brief call-up.

Achan’s smart and physical playing style for a defenseman his size makes him stand out. And he does it without getting penalties. The defenseman had only 20 penalty minutes in 69 regular season games.

“Maybe I just get away with it because I’m a small guy,” Ahcan said. “I don’t know, I try to play a harder game, try to keep my stick on the ice and get my stick on the puck. Try not to trip up the guy or something like that. But I think penalty minutes are a kind of good and bad stat. You can either have a lot and make it seem like you’re playing hard every night. And I think I still do that, and try to manage my penalty minutes, because I like to be on the penalty kill as well. So, try to be smart out there. And it’s a weird stat.”

Ahcan will be a player that Avalanche fans should keep an eye out for. He is going to be high on the call-up list for defensemen, especially with injuries already running rampant in the organization. He earned coaches’ trust during preseason, now is the time to observe if Ahcan can manage the seventh defenseman role for the moment.