Tristen Nielsen set an important goal for this season: Do enough for his new organization to earn an NHL contract.
Shortly into his first training camp practice, it wasn’t going well. Thankfully for him, it got a lot better. Now, he’s setting new goals.
“I think my first six passes of training camp, I didn’t handle one of them cleanly,” Nielsen said. “After that, I was kind of in a mental blender, but then things perked up. I think I had a really good offseason, and it just kind of showed. I needed to be able to make that jump eventually, so I think that was a great start to a good year.
“Obviously, being up now, I hope I can make an impression.”
Nielsen, 25, wasn’t drafted during his time in the WHL, but he did catch the collective eyes of the Vancouver Canucks. They signed him to an AHL contract, and he spent four years with Abbotsford.
He won the Calder Cup last season, which included a hard-fought series win against the Colorado Eagles en route to the AHL championship. When he became a free agent last summer, he found a new opportunity with Colorado, albeit on another AHL-only contract.
“You’ve got to respect this organization. I am pretty sure they are the winningest NHL team since 2020, so anytime a team takes a chance on you, whether it’s an (AHL) deal or an NHL deal, you take it in hopes that things work out,” Nielsen said. “I know that they give the opportunities to people who deserve it. So that was kind of my thought process coming into signing a deal with them.
“When you’re part of a good organization, it just kind of feeds from the bottom up.”
Nielsen didn’t wait until he played for the Eagles to make a strong impression. He was one of the best forwards in preseason action, something Avalanche coach Jared Bednar noted repeatedly throughout camp.
After a strong start with the Eagles at the beginning of the AHL season, the Avs signed Nielsen to a two-year, two-way NHL contract Oct. 27 for the rest of this season and next.
“Really strong training camp and exhibition season for us,” Bednar said. “He was a guy that management identified last year and liked the way he played and figured he had some upside. Then he came in, and he exceeded all expectations. Really glad to have him with us in the organization, get him signed to an NHL deal.
“It’s just another guy that’s a good option for us to call up and hopefully continue to do for us what he did in exhibition, what he’s been doing for the Eagles.”
The season wasn’t a month old, and Nielsen had already accomplished his goal. Then things got even better.
When the Avs needed a forward from the Eagles to replace an injured Gavin Brindley, they called up Taylor Makar for a Nov. 1 contest at San Jose. Three days later, it was Nielsen’s turn for an NHL debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena.
“It was cool. I wasn’t expecting it so soon, so it was definitely a blessing,” Nielsen said. “My whole goal was to get converted into an NHL deal at some point this season. To be able to play a week later, it was one of the greatest weeks of my hockey career.”
Nielsen’s career bests with Abbotsford were 16 goals and 41 points. He has nine goals and 14 points in 16 games with the red-hot, AHL-leading Eagles.
He could easily surpass those career highs this season, but now Nielsen has a taste of the NHL and has his sights set on new benchmarks.
“I just need to quit thinking and just play. It’s hard not to think in your first game, so just get out of my head and play,” Nielsen said. “It’s been cool seeing how these big dogs just like … prepare to play. It’s just cool being around them. You grow up watching NHL players and never expect to be one. Then you get to see them and it’s just surreal.”
His second NHL game will come Thursday night at Ball Arena against the New York Rangers. Nielsen’s immediate success with the Eagles makes him already look like a smart offseason signing. Finding another level and being able to help out the NHL club is a bonus.
Nielsen can be another undrafted success story with this organization, even if he took an indirect path to get here.
“I just kept kind of playing, and just got lucky with an (AHL) deal,” Nielsen said. “I was fortunate for that, and I thank the Abbotsford organization for that. Just kind of never gave up, I guess, is the best way to put it. I just kind of always work, and am always looking for ways to get better.”
Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
