RALEIGH, N.C. — Charting Vladislav Kamenev’s development could simply be done by noticing he logged a career-high in ice time Thursday against the Devils.
Or its choosing to understand how and why Kamenev got to that point.
“We feel like from watching him work in practice in that area, we can give him those minutes,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday. “We trust him with those minutes. He’s done a nice job in the games so far. I think he’s getting better and better as he feels more comfortable and feels like he belongs, which is normal. I just want him to keep pushing himself and try and be a difference maker every night.”
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Kamenev was going to figure into Bednar’s plans at some place in the season. An upper-body injury to second-year center J.T. Compher opened the door for the Avalanche’s third-year coach and his staff to get a greater feel for Kamenev’s progression as a player.
That’s how Kamenev has managed to receive more minutes and, in turn, work his way into centering a line while also seeing time on the penalty kill and power play.
Figuring out how Kamenev was able to gain Bednar’s trust goes back to what he has done in practice. Bednar said Kamenev is asking the right questions and those inquiries have provided a larger scope into the foundation of a 22-year-old who has played in more than 140 AHL games yet his NHL career is still only nine games old.
Avalanche winger Gabriel Bourque possesses one of the strongest insights when it comes to Kamenev. Bourque, who was with Nashville’s organization for eight seasons, was there when the Predators drafted Kamenev with a second-round pick in 2014.
“His game got way better and way more intense and way more physical,” said Bourque, who was able to play alongside Kamenev in the 5-3 win over the Devils. “I think that’s why he’s here now.”
Bednar recalled Kamenev, a center capable of playing left wing, after he opened the season playing two games with the Eagles in the AHL.
He debuted Oct. 11 in a 6-1 win over the Sabres at KeyBank Center, where he finished with a little more than seven minutes of ice time. Kamenev received around eight minutes against the Flames but the team’s current East Coast trip has created more opportunities.
Compher’s absence meant there was a spot open on the penalty-kill and power-play units. Kamenev was paired with Matt Calvert and Sheldon Dries on the fourth line. He was deployed at left wing and was granted less than nine minutes of ice time.
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Kamenev logged more than three minutes while playing on the Avalanche’s second penalty-killing unit. He also finished 3-for-8 on faceoffs, with all of his draws against the Rangers coming in the defensive zone.
Bednar highlighted Kamenev afterward by saying it was the best game he’d played to that point.
“I had a short stint with him but I know he’s a natural centerman. When I played with him, he was on the wing,” Calvert said. “I thought he did a great job. Playing wing in the National Hockey League when you’ve never really played it before, it’s not that easy. He did well on that. I thought he stepped in and did a great job. Those little things, I can teach him and talk to him about.
“For the small sample size I had with him, I thought he brings a lot of effort, got a little skill and he’s likely to get more comfortable.”
Kamenev returned to his natural position where he was partnered with Sven Andrighetto and Bourque.
The 12:36 he logged against the Devils were the most in his career.
Although he has yet to record a point, there were other ways Kamenev made an impact when they played the Devils.
He played close to 90 seconds on the penalty kill while picking up more than four minutes of time whenever the Avalanche went on the power play.
“I think it’s instinctual but our system is a little bit different than other teams he’s been on, I’m sure, in the past,” alternate captain and defenseman Erik Johnson said of Kamenev’s experience on the penalty kill. “There’s been an adjustment period and we like to push pace pretty hard on the PK, so that can be a little bit of an adjustment. Overall, he’s been a good addition so far and the penalty kill is tough to learn as a young player.
“You’re playing against the other team’s five best players every time you go out there. It’s a big-time adjustment.”
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Kamenev was also 4-for-6 on faceoffs. He split draws in the offensive and defense zones yet finished 2-for-2 in the neutral zone.
In the span of 14 hours, the Avalanche left Newark, N.J. and boarded a plane for Raleigh where they held an afternoon skate at PNC Arena.
The short turnaround did not stop Kamenev from being one of the first players on the ice and the last off it once practice ended.
“I want the guys to get the work that they need. Sometimes they need some rest. On nights when he doesn’t play a lot of minutes, I want to see him working and make sure he’s pushing as much as our top-minute guys,” Bednar said. “There’ll be other nights when he gets a lot of ice time and doesn’t feel like he needs that much (rest). As a staff, I think we try to help guide those guys into what we feel would be appropriate so they’re not letting themselves off the hook too easily.
“But as they develop into good pros, they get to know themselves and their bodies and what they need. … For the most part, I think he is a committed pro. He’s a third-, fourth-year pro now. I think he knows himself pretty well in order to be at his best on any given night in games.”
(Top photo of Vladislav Kamenev (91) knocking the puck away from
the Rangers’ Neal Pionk: Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports)