DENVER – In his NHL debut, former Minnesota Gophers captain Ben Meyers wasted no time making sure fans of the Colorado Avalanche will remember his name.
Just 2:21 into the second period of his initial game in burgundy and blue, Meyers took a pass from right winger Logan O’Connor and with a loose puck sitting at the top of the Carolina Hurricanes’ crease, Meyers flipped a rising backhander past goalie Frederik Andersen, giving Colorado a 4-0 lead.
Not surprised. Not one bit.
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) April 17, 2022
Ben Meyers with his first NHL goal in his first NHL game!!#Gophers x #GoAvsGo
pic.twitter.com/TS3HG3G7dy
In doing so, the Hobey Baker finalist became just the eighth player in Avalanche franchise history to score in his first NHL game. The most recent to do so was almost exactly three years ago, when 2019 Hobey winner Cale Makar scored his his first NHL game after signing a contract following two seasons at UMass.
Meyers, 23, signed a two-year, free-agent contract with Colorado on Wednesday, just six days after his junior season of college had concluded in the Gophers’ 5-1 loss to Minnesota State Mankato in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals in Boston.
He participated in one of the standard rookie traditions on Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver, taking a solo lap around the rink before warmups. Wearing sweater number 59, Meyers skated the majority of his shifts at left wing with O’Connor on the other wing and former Michigan standout Andrew Cogliano at center.
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He came to Colorado after leading the Gophers offensively, and that was despite missing five games while he skated for Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
Meyers is ineligible to skate in the playoffs for Colorado, which is leading the Western Conference as the regular season winds down.
What a READ, Meyers.
— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 17, 2022
Way to run this 🔥#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/14bmZqhsKM
