Sean Behrens got a taste of professional hockey and is ready for more

It’s been a good time for Colorado Avalanche prospect Sean Behrens at the University of Denver. How do you win two national championships in three years? Well, I guess he could have tried to win three straight, but there’s no need to be greedy. At some point, it’s time for a new challenge, and for Behrens, that new challenge is professional hockey.

Colorado’s 2021 second-round pick signed his entry-level contract on April 19 and managed to squeeze in a few games with the Colorado Eagles late in the season. Just being able to be around professionals and see it all was a great experience for the 21-year-old.

“I think it was great to get on the field and play the games, but also to be around that team,” Behrens said after the first day of development camp. “They had a lot of guys, like Brad Hunt, Keaton Middleton, guys that are really good to learn from and are really good at their details. Just being there and being around those guys was something I really enjoyed.”

Behrens has played in two games. One was in the regular season and one was in the playoffs. That’s not nearly a large sample size to get a good idea of ​​where he fits at the professional level.

Even though it was only two games, he took away some things that he can work on over the summer.

“I think you just have to have calm feet, don’t cross, don’t fall over because guys come out of the corners a little bit quicker (than in the NCAA),” Behrens said. “They find plays a little bit quicker. Being able to get to guys, I think that’s something I’ve worked on throughout my three years at DU and it’s gotten better, but at the professional level, you have to be really good at it. You have to be able to take control of your defensive zone and have success in your defensive zone if you want to be successful at the professional level.”

The Avalanche made it very difficult for Behrens to crack the roster on opening night. By signing Erik Brannstrom, Calvin de Haan, Calle Rosen and Jacob MacDonald, the Avalanche refilled their blueline depth, pushing Behrens a bit deeper. Also, let’s not forget Sam Malinski, who spent a quarter of the season in the NHL last year.

NCAA prospects can’t attend training camp while in college, so this September will be Behrens’ first taste of NHL training camp. While there’s a bit of a logjam on the blue line, he’s looking forward to his first camp.

“Yeah, I’m (excited),” he told me. “I hope to have a really good camp, see what happens, but I’m excited to be here, get into the organization, hopefully play some preseason games or whatever, but I’m really excited for a different challenge and a new challenge than the last three years.”

You’ll be able to catch a glimpse of Behrens and all the other Avalanche prospects at development camp Friday night, when they take the ice for a 4-on-4 practice game at 4 p.m. at Family Sports.