Consider Logan O’Connor a college grinder, a bottom-six forward who was terrific at his relatively obscure role but probably not good enough to play at the next level.
Last weekend, O’Connor was a University of Denver forward preparing to lead the Pioneers in 2018-19 as their senior captain. By Monday, days after pondering the biggest decision of his life, O’Connor became the fifth DU player to leave the program early for an NHL contract since the Pioneers were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in March.
A conference call with Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, assistant GM Chris MacFarland and head coach Jared Bednar convinced O’Connor and his family that the opportunity to sign with the Avs outweighed his senior year at DU.