CENTENNIAL, Colo.--There were no practice drills, checks into the boards or slap shots from the blue line. In fact, there weren't even any pucks on the ice. There was just skating—lots and lots of skating.
That was the highlight of the first day of on-ice activities at the Colorado Avalanche's development camp at Family Sports Center on Tuesday, and it is expected to be much of the same for the next two days as well.
Colorado hasn't had an on-ice portion to its annual development camp for the past several years, but the organization changed things this time and it appears the technical aspect of skating is an emphasis.