Colorado Eagles 3 stars for March
Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images
Who is going to finish the strongest? The last full month of the regular season was spent mostly away from the cozy confines of the Budweiser Events Center and the Colorado Eagles felt a bit road weary as a result going 2-3-1 over the long trip. A return home led to a 8-0 goal explosion over the San Jose Barracuda helped lift spirits and production totals. Ultimately the Eagles went 6-4-3 in March and cliched a spot in the seven team play-in to get to the first round of the AHL playoffs. They hope to finish top four in the division to host that play-in best-of-three series at home.
First Star - Ben Meyers - 9 GP, 2G, 12A, 14P +4
The organization finally decided to leave Meyers in the AHL and it has paid off. While he is not an incredibly dynamic player even at that level he is much more involved consistently providing offense which amounted to a recently concluded nine-game point streak. Getting time on the first power play unit has and four secondary assists in the aforementioned 8-0 win helped in that department, too. On a team that has trouble creating offense to make that happen reliably is a great step in the right direction.
Benny breaks the standoff on the power play 1-0 good guys :)#EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/gUuJsw79jR— X - Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) March 9, 2023
Second Star - Mikhail Maltsev - 9 GP, 5G, 2A, 7P, +4
Returning to action in any capacity is star worthy after Maltsev suffered from a gruesome leg injury in November and still managed to find his way back to the Eagles lineup. As the team desperately needed help in the middle of the ice Maltsev was a welcome addition plus he was able to find the back of the net five times giving a much needed offensive boost.
Quick rebuttal from Maltsy to put us back in the lead We missed you, Mikhail!#EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/mw2B0G4uxX— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) March 18, 2023
Third Star - Ryan Merkley - 13 GP, 1G, 4A, 5P, -1
It has still been an up-and-down month for the organization’s newest defense prospect. As he gets comfortable on his new team the production is starting to find the blueliner on a more regular basis, however, as Merkley broke through for another goal this month which led to a shootout win. He is shooting the puck a bit more than he did in San Jose. Defensive coverage is still a work in progress but that’s a task for all playing in the AHL.
Thank youuuu Ryan Merkley!#EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/duBYdvuqmj— X - Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) March 13, 2023
Honorable Mention - Alex Beaucage - 13 GP, 3G, 3A, 6P, +2
Truly the Avalanche prospect nobody talks about seems to be a personal favorite of Greg Cronin and has been quietly productive. While he hasn’t received any attention from the Colorado Avalanche he’s still in the mix with the rest of the prospects trying to take the next step.
Look for details on the latest addition to the Colorado Eagles with newly signed Avalanche prospect Jason Polin later today. Also, some news concerning an existing prospect in Matt Stienburg might be on the horizon.
Matt Stienburg, drafted by the #Avs 63rd overall in 2019, will come to Colorado on a tryout agreement for the rest of the year, he told The Athletic. He’ll report to the Eagles, and contract talks are underway for a deal beyond the tryout. He was at @CornellMHockey.— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 29, 2023
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