How Sam Malinski developed into fascinating Denver Avs prospect

The end of a Sam Malinski shift was a study in mannerisms for one college assistant coach. It was almost a miniature game of facial expressions. Always with the same ending.

Malinski would skate to the Cornell bench while Ben Syer was still marveling at whatever high-skilled maneuver his pupil had just pulled off. Malinski would shoot him an ever-so-slightly prolonged look. “Straight-faced,” Syer remembers. “Wouldn’t really give you much of a reaction.” Like he was waiting for acknowledgment.

Syer wanted to see the reaction Malinski was hiding.

“You kind of had to give him a little pat on the back,” he said. Only then would Malinski crack a smirk, the kind that said: “Yeah, I know that was pretty good.”

The two sides of Malinski were present in those moments: the part of him that learned modesty the hard way, getting cut by a USHL team in his first year of junior hockey, and the part of him that was starting to realize his talent and potential.

“He was humble at heart,” Syer said. “But he knew.”

So did everyone else at Cornell. They saw Malinski — a late bloomer in his sport — ascending toward a potential NHL career, one that might come to fruition this season with the Avalanche. Turning 25 in July, he’s the prized centerpiece of a significant haul of college free-agent signings Colorado made in March to rebuild its farm system.

General manager Chris MacFarland recently described the organization as “bullish” on Malinski, who as of July projects as the Avalanche’s third-best right-shooting defenseman behind Cale Makar and Josh Manson. That doesn’t mean he’ll play opening night on the third pairing. If the Avs are fully healthy, they’ll likely stagger one of their four lefties on the right side. But coming out of development camp last week, Malinski seems positioned to earn NHL minutes sooner than any other current prospect in the pipeline.

“He’s going to be a player to watch in training camp, I bet that for sure,” Avs director of pro scouting Brian Willsie said.

Malinski has been developing since 2019 at Cornell, where he landed after stints in the USHL and the lower-level North American Hockey League. He captained the Big Red squad that knocked off the defending champion University of Denver Pioneers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament earlier this spring — fittingly, a 2-0 victory led by stout defense.

“Ironic you ask me about that right now,” Malinski said, grinning, after a development camp scrimmage Wednesday. Sitting at the locker next to him and shaking his head was former DU defenseman Kyle Mayhew.

“We wanted to try to prove ourselves,” Malinski continued. The upset was a culmination for him, his first tournament win after a bumpy college career that included an entire year without games.

When Cornell canceled its 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, Malinski was stuck — he had exhausted his junior hockey eligibility by then. Seniors on the team signed contracts and went pro. Freshmen went back to junior hockey. Malinski stayed in Ithaca, New York, for the year without competition, taking classes and training with his college coaches and the few teammates still there.

“There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. … The COVID-canceled season kind of hid him from everybody,” Cornell head coach Mike Schafer said. “His ability to stay positive and work hard led him to this success.”

Malinski spent more time in the weight room that season than he would have with games, which require players to be fresh for the weekends. “We were able to work out five days a week,” Malinski said. He added five pounds of muscle and taught himself to use his body more on the ice by cutting off opponents and making them come through him. He got stronger with the puck.

Syer drilled Malinski on his edgework, including one fun exercise called Packer 3 Puck that focused on Malinski’s simultaneous elusiveness and ability to create a shooting lane. “I don’t know if he would tell you that was his favorite drill,” Syer said, “but he didn’t miss doing one of those too many times, that’s for sure. Especially on a Thursday or Friday.”

“It was a really weird time,” Malinski said. “But really crucial.”

Still, it was hard for him to shake the feeling that he was falling behind. “It was tough watching other teams play,” he said. Competition is the best motivator, and without it, there was no concrete way to gauge individual progress.

The uncertainty added a layer to Malinski’s humility, which Schafer and Syer say is his defining characteristic. Those smirks Malinski flashed Syer after skating to the bench were the closest he ever came to showboating.