DENVER -- If the Colorado Avalanche are any indication, an NHL team doesn't have to stink for years while rebuilding.
A season that was predicted to be filled with growing pains has actually gone very smoothly, and a team filled with young talent is starting to resemble an up and coming Chicago Blackhawks squad of a couple of seasons ago.
Heading into their game against the Edmonton Oilers Saturday night, the Avalanche were two points back of top spot in the Northwest Division and well entrenched in a playoff spot.
"We came into the season with a bit of a chip on our shoulder," said Avalanche rookie Matt Duchene.
"We didn't want to prove the critics right, we wanted to prove them wrong. I think we almost took it as a bit of an insult and really believed we could be a really good team. We have a lot of underrated talent and experience on this team and I think a lot of people didn't see that coming."
Duchene, 19, represent the brightest of the young talent on the Avalanche roster.
The third overall pick in last summer's NHL Entry Draft had 18 goals and 38 points in 56 games heading into Saturday's contest. But he's not the only rising talent on the squad.
Paul Stastny, Wojtek Wolski, Kyle Cumiskey, Chris Stewart, Kyle Quincy, Ryan O'Reilly, T.J. Galiardi and Brandon Yip represent the future of the club.
"It's encouraging, it's rewarding, it's a credit to our organization to the job they've done as far as identifying players for our team and for our organization," said Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco.
"The guys that have come up have really not missed a beat. They've been able to give us quality minutes and fit into the system that we're playing here.
"We're trying to play with lots of energy with guys that can skate and pursue the puck aggressively at the same while being responsible without the puck.
"There is a lot of credit that goes around in the organization for that."
