Matt Hunwick hadn’t scored a goal, had tallied just one assist and was a minus-4 through his first 10 games with the Avalanche. Yet nobody with the team seems anything but pleased he has been around since being acquired from Boston late last month.
“He’s brought a lot to our team, a lot of speed and quickness,” Avalanche coach Joe Sacco said.
But the numbers could be better, Sacco acknowledges.
“Matt’s going to be fine. I think the only time he’s gotten himself into trouble is by trying to do too much at times,” Sacco said.
Hunwick, 25, has noticed subtle differences between the Eastern and Western conferences, and he’s still adjusting.
“I think maybe the East has a little bit more trapping style. I remember in Boston, they would always say, ‘Don’t skate into the trap,’ ” Hunwick said. “Here, it seems like we have a little bit more room to get up the ice. I need to skate and take care of the puck.”
Footnotes.
Veteran winger Milan Hejduk (groin) skated Tuesday morning but missed his sixth straight game. . . . Left wing Cody McLeod missed his second straight with a groin injury. . . . Entering the weekend, Avalanche prospect Stefan Elliott ranked second among Western Hockey League defensemen in points (34) and first in goals (14). Elliott plays for Saskatoon. . . . Also entering the weekend, goalie prospect Calvin Pickard had a 15-9-2-4 record for Seattle of the WHL, with a 2.81 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
