NHL training camp — don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
Officially, the Avalanche’s training camp for the 2009-10 season lasts three days — starting today at Family Sports Center in Centennial.
Unofficially, camp continues thereafter, with the annual Burgundy-White scrimmage Wednesday at the Air Force Academy and six NHL exhibition games.
But today through Tuesday, fans will be able to see all 59 invitees in the same location, although they all might last another day through the Burgundy-White scrimmage.
The Avs will have many new faces on the ice and have until Oct. 1 to get down to a 23-man team roster. Here are some of the more intriguing story lines entering this camp:
1. Will Matt Duchene show he’s ready to make the leap to the NHL at age 18?
Not even Joe Sakic made it at that young an age (he was 19 when he started with Quebec in 1988).
Duchene’s goal is to play a full season with Colorado, and odds are strong he’ll at least start the regular season in Denver. After that, the Avs will have 10 games to decide whether to keep him for the rest of the regular season or send him back to Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League.
2. Who will be the No. 2 center behind Paul Stastny — Duchene, or will Wojtek Wolski be given another chance at center?
Wolski thrived at first after being moved from left wing to his more natural center last season under former coach Tony Granato. But with the loss of star left wing Ryan Smyth and the Avs already thin on the left side, it will be interesting to see whether Wolski is moved back to LW.
3. What will it be like under new coach Joe Sacco — a military-style camp, full of lap-skating, or more instructional?
Expect to see plenty of hard skating at camp, as Sacco wants to play a more dogged style of defense. This will be Sacco’s first year coaching in the NHL, so nobody knows quite what to expect, other than it won’t be easy.
4. Will goalie Craig Anderson show he’s up to the physical and mental challenge of being a No. 1 netminder for the first time in his career?
Such a question can’t fully be answered in preseason, of course. But players will be watching to see how Anderson mentally handles the new role. Lots of teams take their mental cues from the goalie, so Anderson will have to deal with the new responsibilities that come with it.
