Tyson Jost arrived at the Avalanche practice facility Thursday, one day after signing his three-year entry-level contract, and he's expected to make his NHL debut Friday against St. Louis at the Pepsi Center.
The
Denver Post reported that work visa and immigration issues have been resolved for Jost, 19, who is from St. Albert, Alberta, and recently completed his freshman season at the University of North Dakota.
A 5-feet-11, 191-pound center, Jost was the Avalanche's first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2016 NHL draft. He tied for second at North Dakota for goals (16) and was second for assists (19) and points (35) in 33 games. The Fighting Hawks lost 4-3 in double overtime to Boston University last Friday in the first round of the NCAA West Regional.
Jost arrived in Denver on Thursday morning, took his physical and got to the practice facility in suburban Centennial as the Avalanche were getting ready to go on the ice. He met most of his new teammates in the locker room but didn't join them until after practice ended. He stayed to do some skating and shooting.
The Avalanche have six games left in what has been a nightmare season, so Jost will see first-hand the challenge that awaits him. Their 20-53-3 record is by far the NHL's worst, and they've lost seven consecutive games.
“I want to be a part of the rebuild and I want to do whatever I can to help this team in that rebuild stage,” said Jost, who will wear jersey No. 27. He wore No. 17 in college, but veteran forward Rene Bourque has those digits. “Obviously they’re struggling a little bit, but I think I can bring some energy and some pace into this lineup. I’m still very honored and happy to be part of this organization.”
Jost said it was difficult for him to leave school, but he feels ready to take the next step in his career.
"North Dakota was great to me and I have the utmost respect for that program and everything they’ve done for me," he said. "I’ve dreamed about this my while life, playing in the NHL, and it was right there in front of me. I thought why not take it, this was my dream.
"I think I can really get a taste of what the NHL game is like. Adjust to that pace, get in the mindset, work on things. I can see what I need to work on in the offseason and really take that back home and here if I’m training here in the summer, see things where I need to step up in my game.”
Jost's entry-level contract will kick in next season because he won't play in the maximum 10 games this year, putting him under contract through the 2019-20 campaign.
"We'll throw him right into the fire," said coach
Jared Bednar, who likely will have Jost center a line with
Gabriel Landeskog and
Matt Duchene. "High caliber player, a character player, he has a lot of experience internationally. He has a good year of college under his belt.
"We're excited to get him in, it's part of the youth movement. We're seeing these guys come up and play quality minutes and do an admirable job. There's obviously going to be an adjustment period, but we're ready to get him in and give him as much experience as we possibly can before the end of the season."
Nathan MacKinnon has the same agent (
J.P. Barry) as Jost, and he contacted Jost on Tuesday.
"He's legit," MacKinnon said. "He got over a point a game as a freshman in college, as a true freshman. I was texting with him a little bit before he made his decision. I wanted to assure him that it's only going to get better here. He just wanted to make sure that he's ready for the next step. He definitely is. He's going to fit in nicely. He's young and has lots of speed. He's going to be a big part of our future and help us try to turn this thing around."
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