Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski is having a career year with 21 points in 37 games. His game is consistently improving and impressing both his teammates and coaches.
“He has that skill. He’s a great player. He has all the tools to show that. It’s just what he can do. It’s great. He’s playing really good. And fun to see how he’s growing,” Brent Burns said. “That happens confidence-wise. There’s a lot of knowledge of the league and knowledge of guys, and all that stuff comes into play.”
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The 27-year-old blueliner was never drafted and signed as a free agent with the Avs on March 30, 2023. In his third professional season, he has scored three goals and recorded 18 assists, a plus-19 rating, and one game-winning goal.
Malinski plays the least amount of time among Avalanche defensemen, yet sits second in points. While veteran blueliner Burns said he has not had much influence on his game, he has been impressed by his skill.
“He’s doing a great job, and a lot of partner work with him, and G (Sam Girard). Credit is to him,” Burns said.
The 5-foot-11 Lakeville, Minnesota native played three years at Cornell University (his sophomore year was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic) and was captain his senior year. He totaled 65 points and earned a spot on the All-Ivy League and All-ECAC Hockey First Team.
Since joining the Avalanche, Malinski has improved his game and is on track for a projected 47 points this season.
Malinski has two multi-point games this season — a two-point outing against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 11, and three points in the 6-5 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.
“It was impressive. His puck-moving last night was really impressive. He skated well, number one. Every time he touched the puck, he was moving forward, moving north, and then he was finding the open option …,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “Kind of deteriorated a little bit at times in the game after that on our entries, but the D did a nice job getting them (forwards) the puck. Sam was leading the charge on that last night.”
Malinski made adjustments to his conditioning during the offseason, which he attributes to his improvement. His increased confidence in both his game and from his team has resulted in consistent production.