LOVELAND — Aaron Schneekloth had a critical Calder Cup Playoffs game to prepare for, but he had plenty of time to praise a player who would have no impact on the outcome.
While the Colorado Eagles were readying for a winner-take-all Game 5 of the AHL quarterfinals against the Abbotsford Canucks in late May, Sean Behrens had his own battle to wage. This would be another night where Behrens could sit and feel sorry for himself, wishing he could be on the ice with his teammates instead.
Another long night in a lost season, at least on the ice. Another test of his mental toughness.
“We talk about personal investment. This is a guy that lost an entire season in training camp,” Schneekloth, former head coach of the Eagles, said. “He’s been around the team every single day. With his rehab, with his workouts, team meetings, being with the guys — I mean, he’s invested. He’s making sure that this season isn’t a complete wash. He’s been watching all the games, working hard to make sure that he can be an impactful player next season.
“You can’t say enough about his character. Obviously, in a difficult situation, his first year pro, first NHL contract, just continue to show up and work tells you why he was a national champion at DU, tells you why he’s been a leader, been on the world junior team. Just a special kid and a special player.”
Behrens was in the middle of crafting a storybook tale.
A second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2021 NHL draft, Behrens followed his older brother to the University of Denver. He had a decorated amateur career.
He won two national championships with the Pioneers. He played for his country in international events at the Under-17, U-18 and U-20 levels, earning an assistant captain role for the latter two teams.
Despite a diminutive frame, he became a two-way force at DU and one of the Avalanche’s top prospects. He got a taste of life in the AHL after his junior season, but made a solid impression at his first NHL training camp and headed north up I-25 for his first season as a professional.
A few days later, his season was over.
“It was just kind of a weird, weird incident, kind of a freaky play that happened,” Behrens said. “The next thing you know, my leg didn’t really work. It was a pretty humbling experience.”
Defenseman Sean Behrens (2) of the Denver Pioneers moves the puck behind the net in the third period of the game against the Colorado College Tigers Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 at Magness Arena. (Photo by Daniel Brenner/Special to The Denver Post)Behrens was assigned to AHL camp Oct. 1, 2024. Behrens sustained a torn ACL during an Eagles practice four days after that.
Any season for a young hockey player is a critical one for development. But losing the first one as a pro could be a different level of adversity.
“He was really primed to start his professional career, and to have that taken away in an instant is tough, I think just as much or more so mentally,” Avalanche director of player development Brian Willsie said. “You’re checking in with him all the time.
“The coaches, the staff get focused on the team, but you can’t forget about the other players that are not in the lineup every night. So Aaron and his staff did a great job with that up there, including him in everything. He’s progressed well. It’s a long year. It’s just as much mental as it is getting that knee strong.”
It’s been nearly eight months since the surgery to repair Behrens’ knee. He’s been skating for a while and was back on the ice this past week for Colorado’s summer development camp.
Behrens was in a red no-contact jersey all week, but he expects to be fully ready for training camp in September.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs throughout the whole recovery, especially when I got back on the ice,” Behrens said. “It was tough for a little bit, but it’s been feeling a lot better these last couple of weeks. Hopefully, I’ll be ready for contact here pretty soon. I’m really excited for that.”
Sean Behrens (2) gets ready to head out onto the ice for the Colorado Avalanche’s on-ice Development Camp at Family Sports Center in Dove Valley, Colorado on July 2, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)He’s still just 22 years old, but one additional forthcoming test for Behrens will again be about patience and trusting his process. While he can’t wait to get back into full team practices and begin his first season as a regular with the Eagles, he can’t try too hard to make up for lost time either.
Related Articles
Avalanche hires Mark Letestu as new Colorado Eagles coach Avalanche Journal: Sizing up the top of the NHL after a sleepy start to free agency Renck: Greatest season for Colorado pro sports is staring us in face — save for Rockies, of course New Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns has ‘one big goal still’ after remarkable career — win the Stanley Cup Avalanche sign potential Hall of Fame defenseman Brent Burns to one-year contractBehrens is going to need to adjust to the pace of AHL hockey, learn how to defend bigger, more experienced players. His dream of reaching the NHL is still out there. There’s still more work to do.
He’s just happy to be doing it on the ice again. The end of his tale is still in his control.
“I kind of feel like missing last year kind of makes you want it more,” Behrens said. “It’s exciting to be back again. It’s exciting to kind of be around the team environment and be on the ice for practices again.
“I think going into next year, I feel good. Having the confidence in my knee and myself has me in a good spot. I still feel like I’m the same hockey player. Nothing has changed. It’s just rehabbing and getting back to not where it was before, but a little bit better than it was.”
Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Avalanche prospect Sean Behrens lost a season, but not his drive: ‘Just a special kid and a special player’ )
Also on site :