In two weeks, the Avalanche begins its rookie camp, featuring many of its recent draft picks, recently signed young free agents and those on professional tryout contracts.
What it will not include is team-drafted NCAA players such as Will Butcher of the University of Denver, Ben Storm of St. Cloud State and A.J. Greer of Boston University. If Butcher, Storm or Greer would participate in the rookie camp — which ultimately will be intermixed with veteran NHL players —they would lose their NCAA eligibility.
Thus, they won't show up and have the opportunity to make an impression — unlike the same-age players in their draft class.