On Friday night, the Colorado Avalanche recalled forward Taylor Makar from the Colorado Eagles. There is a possibility that he could make his NHL debut on Saturday in San Jose against the Sharks. In nine games for the Eagles this season, Makar has one goal and three assists. He has been playing on the “third line,” but it has been with veterans Jayson Megna and Alex Barre-Boulet. And everyone has benefited from being on the line with Makar the most.

Makar is not being called up just because of his name. Yes, everyone knows he is related to Cale Makar. But Taylor plays a different type of game with a different type of body frame. He is your classic power forward. He will use his size to drive to the net and push other players away from the puck. For his 6-foot-4 frame, Taylor is surprisingly quick. He is also a hard hitter. The Avalanche need a heavy hitter right now in the bottom-six, and this will be the man for the job. He can take his opponents off their feet with bone-jarring hits and board-shaking hip checks.

Taylor has adjusted to the professional game and done it with ease. In his last game on Wednesday, he was consistently getting chance after chance on the net. The Bakersfield Condors (EDM) got to a point where they had to adjust their game plan for him and his line. In the first period alone, I counted four chances that Makar had by driving down the wing and towards the net.

“It was good to see him go head to head with Josh Brown, who’s got 300 NHL games, and they just go shoulder to shoulder,” said Eagles coach Mark Letestu. “And he didn’t get deterred. He went at him. He made plays. His speed showed up at all times. So that was a really good, strong game for him. The unfortunate part for him now is that’s his standard. Now I get to hold him to that. So he has to continue to keep elevating, because his goals are beyond this league, and we want him to consistently show that, so that one day he can contribute at that NHL level.”

Makar could be another late-round success story for the Avalanche as well. The Avalanche drafted Taylor 220th overall in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL draft. He will be the second player from that draft class to make their NHL debut (Oskar Olausson). Nikita Prishchepov is another success story. Prishchepov played 10 NHL games after the team drafted him in the seventh round of the 2024 draft.

Taylor will bring exactly what the Avalanche need to the bottom-six for the time being. With Gavin Brindley probably out with an injury, we do not know how long this could be. Moments when brothers get to play together are special, and we will all get to enjoy them.