Forward Jost finds ways to put less pressure on himself
Tyson Jost is a member of what is regarded as the Avalanche’s second line. The third-year pro, 21, was again the left-winger with newcomers Nazem Kadri and Joonas Donskoi in Day 2 of training camp Saturday.
It’s a position Jost found himself in a year ago, when he began his second full NHL season with high hopes of becoming one of Colorado’s top scorers.
That didn’t pan out. Jost, the club’s 2016 first-round selection (10th overall), was demoted to the third line, and then the fourth, and had an eight-game stint with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League in what was said to be a conditioning assignment when he was returning from the injury list.
Jost began the Avs’ playoff run last spring with just 7:57 of ice time against Calgary in Game 1 of that series. But he scored goals in Colorado’s final three playoff games — Games 5, 6 and 7 against the San Jose Sharks.
“I finished really strong and was happy with how I was playing,” Jost said from training camp. “Last year was definitely an up-and-down season, highs and lows, but I learned from it and used it as fuel. I had a really good summer. I’m excited where I’m slotted right now. But so much can change. This is where I started here (the second line) last season and I wasn’t consistent. That’s what I’m going to work on this year — (consistency).”
Jost is armed this season with more support. He used to talk to his sports psychologist in Penticton, British Columbia, a couple of times per week. Now the conversations are more regular, if not daily, and he is also working with other professionals in Denver.
When Avs coach Jared Bednar spoke about Jost on Thursday when veterans reported for physicals and testing at the Pepsi Center, the coach said the player’s biggest challenge is to overcome himself — to put less pressure on himself. Bednar thinks Jost thinks too much.
“I’ve done it throughout my whole career,” Jost said of self-inflicted pressure. “I just expect a lot from myself. It’s just my mentality. I want to be the best player on the ice every single time I go out there. It’s just how I was raised. It’s just who I am. That’s just the type of person I am and it’s just the competitive atmosphere that I have.
“There’s a balance, though, and that’s something I’m learning about, for sure. I’m talking to different people. It’s all personal stuff but part of being a pro hockey player, and something I’m adding in my every-day life, for sure. I’m looking for that ‘right’ pressure, I guess you could say.”
Jost loves playing with Kadri and Donskoi. He and Kadri participated in the Sidney Crosby-led training camp in Vail this month, along with Avs star Nathan Mackinnon. The additions of four key forwards — Kadri, Donskoi, Andre Burakovsky and Pierre-edouard Bellemare — and other additions have Jost and everyone else thinking big.
“We’re not afraid to say it right now: I think the Stanley Cup is the end-goal,” Jost said. “Kadri, Donskoi, Burakovsky, Bellemare — we got some great additions. We’re looking like a really solid team. It’s going to be an exciting year for us.”
Footnotes. The Avs have their third training camp on-ice session Sunday from 8:45 a.m. to about noon. Their fourth and final session is Monday and they open the preseason Tuesday against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. … Bednar said former elite prospect Valeri Nichushkin reported to training game and went through physicals and testing Saturday. Signed last month to a one-year deal as a free agent, Nichushkin, 24, is expected to join the team for drills Sunday.