Borna Rendulic, the first Croatian-born player to score in an NHL game, has a good chance to be the only member of his country to score twice in the world’s premier hockey league.
Rendulic, 23, likely will begin the season in the minors, but he’ll undoubtedly get his chance with the Avs when injuries set in with the big club.
“When he’s using his speed he becomes a threat out there,” Colorado coach Patrick Roy said.
Rendulic, signed as an undrafted free agent in May 2014, played 11 games for the Avs last season, scoring his only career NHL goal in his fourth game against Philadelphia on Dec. 31. Seven games later he suffered a fractured leg at Florida, ending his season.
“I had a really good summer training,” Rendulic said after Colorado’s 1-0 preseason loss Thursday to the visiting Calgary Flames. “I did a lot of sprints, a lot of squats. I wanted to be more stable on the ice. I’m just going day-by-day and improve all the time, and hopefully the coaches see that.”
Roy sees that. Rendulic is playing with confidence.
“He was skating well,” Roy said Thursday. “I thought he had a few looks. He’s got some speed when he comes down on the wing.”
Reassignments. Forward Freddie Hamilton and defensemen Mason Geertsen, Duncan Siemens and Mat Clark were reassigned to the Avs’ new American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, after Thursday’s preseason game. Only Clark, from Wheat Ridge, saw action in Colorado’s first two preseason games.
Siemens, the 11th overall pick in 2011, is still just 22.
High country. The Avs — 30 players plus staff — departed for Vail after Thursday’s preseason game. They had private team activities Friday and will practice Saturday at Dobson Ice Arena, beginning at 11 a.m. The point?
“It’s a good opportunity for team bonding,” Roy said.
Footnotes.
Forwards Jarome Iginla and Dennis Everberg are day-to-day with hip injuries. Iginla traveled to Vail with the team but Everberg was questionable for travel. … Forward Jesse Winchester, who missed all of last season with concussion-like symptoms, did not play in the Burgundy/White intrasquad scrimmage or two preseason games. … The Avs host the Los Angeles Kings in a preseason game at 6 p.m. Sunday. Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
