Growing up in Czechia, over 5,200 miles from Denver, Ivan Ivan became an Avalanche fan. Not by watching them on TV, but by playing as them in a video game.
“I was pretty much playing PlayStation with my dad,” Ivan said. “And I don’t know, out of nowhere, I just liked Colorado.”
Ivan said he’s been an Avalanche fan since he was five or six years old and that he’s always looked up to the players and the logo.
“I remember the best overall guy was Joe Sakic at that moment,” Ivan said. “So, I really liked him because he was the best player on that team. It was just full of legends. I don’t think I can remember anymore, but it was just a lot of good players.”
Signing with the Avalanche in March, Ivan has shown out so far in Training Camp, being one of the final 30 players before the Avalanche must cut their roster down to 23 players by the start of the NHL season.
“I think he’s had a really consistently good camp here,” Head Coach Jared Bednar said.
Bednar said that Ivan looks confident and more comfortable than he did at last year’s training camp.
“His game’s taken a step, there’s no question,” Bednar said.
While Ivan said it’s every hockey player’s dream to play in the NHL, he said it’s special for him to play for his favorite team. And like the team he grew up using on the PlayStation, this current Avalanche team has superstar players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen.
“I watch them and watch every detail,” Ivan said. “[I] learn everything that I can from them. And it makes me better. It’s just great to watch them. [They’re] the best players in the world. So just watching them and almost writing down some stuff.”
In his first season as a pro, Ivan posted 31 points (12g/19a) in 67 regular-season games for the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and started his second season with the organization with a strong Training Camp.
