HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Friday night marked the beginning of a long hockey season with the first game of the Rookie Showcase. The Colorado Avalanche rookies came into the game against the Utah Mammoth with tons of prospects to watch. We anticipated watching some players who were invited to the showcase the most. Mostly because we wanted to see what they were capable of. The game started out fast-paced in the first period, flattened out in the second and then ended with an offensive spark. The Avalanche prospects walked away with a 5–3 victory, and here are a few players that stood out during the game:

Asan Sarkenov

Asan Sarkenov is a 19-year-old from Kazakhstan who played for the Spokane Chiefs last season. In 52 games with the Chiefs, he had 10 goals and 17 assists. The Avalanche invited Sarkenov to the Rookie Showcase without an active contract, which may change if he plays well. And he played well. Sarkenov was aggressive on the puck and tallied two goals in the first period to put the Avalanche up 2–0. He crashed the slot on the first goal and snapped the shot from the top of the zone on the second. The 19-year-old showed that he has great vision when it counts.

Gavin Brindley

The issue with Gavin Brindley is that there are few bad things that we can say about him. On Friday, Brindley showed the Avalanche how hard of a worker he is on the ice. Anytime he was involved in a play, he made it difficult for the opponent to get away from him. Brindley gives very little space to move. The Avalanche gained Brindley in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier in the summer, but he spent all of last season with their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. There, Brindley had six goals and 11 assists in 52 games.

Cooper Gay

Cooper Gay played in two games last season for the Colorado Eagles after finishing the season with Saint Thomas University. Gay was an undrafted free agent when he signed with the Avalanche on March 25, but no one could figure out why. Not only does Gay bring a great snapshot, he plays a very heavy game. He showed that on Friday with a massive hit that laid a Mammoth player on the Avalanche bench in the first period.

Overall, it was a fun way to start the season. Colorado showed us what they have in the prospect pool, despite low rankings by the experts. The Avalanche rookies are having practice at the South Suburban Sports Complex on Saturday morning. Their next game will be against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday at 2 p.m.