Is This Finally Sean Behrens' Year to Crack the Avalanche Lineup?
Sean Behrens’ professional career lost a year before it ever got started.
The Avalanche drafted him 61st overall in 2021. He became an excellent college defenseman at the University of Denver. He won two national championships with the Pioneers. He signed his entry-level deal in April of 2024. Everything seemed to line up perfectly.
Then his first full professional season disappeared.
CBS Sports' RotoWire Staff reported that Behrens suffered a season-ending injury during a scrimmage in 2024-25.
Behrens has been one of the Avalanche's more intriguing defensive prospects for five years. What he hasn't been yet is a Colorado Avalanche defenseman.
During his final season in 2023-24, he had 31 points in 44 games, led Denver with 70 blocked shots and was named the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year, according to the Colorado Eagles.
A defenseman on the smaller side at 5-foot-10, Behrens is mobile and smart with the puck, capable offensively and willing to block shots.
The Avalanche signed him April 19, 2024. Then came the knee injury.
Missing a full season of hockey is especially significant for a young player because age 21-22 is normally when you're making the jump from college hockey to learning the professional game.
Instead, Behrens was rehabbing. His development didn't necessarily go backward, but everyone else kept moving while he stood still.
Hard Work Pays Off
In 2025-26, Behrens finally got his first legitimate AHL season and produced five goals, 18 assists, 23 points, and a plus nine rating in 55 games. He also played 15 Calder Cup playoff games, recording four points.
Those aren't Cale Makar numbers, obviously, but that's not what the Avalanche are looking for. The important part is that Behrens was able to return from a devastating injury and put up the numbers he did in college.
Can He Actually Crack the Avalanche Lineup?
Behrens turned 23 in March and still hasn't appeared in an NHL regular-season game. That's not exactly alarming for a defenseman, particularly one who lost an entire development season, but it makes this training camp different.
He's no longer showing Colorado what he might become three years from now. Behrens doesn't have to win an opening night NHL job. He needs to move himself toward the front of the line when the Avalanche need a defenseman.
Behrens has already experienced how quickly a season and an opportunity can disappear. After spending a year watching from the sidelines, he finally got the chance to take a meaningful step forward last season. Entering the final year of his entry-level contract, Behrens wants to prove he belongs and that time may finally be arriving.
Jason Fink is an NHL writer and lifelong hockey fan who fell in love with the game when he watched Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final. When he’s not writing, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle and their son Theo and daughter Stella. Whether he’s following the latest NHL news or cheering from the rink, his passion for the sport has been a constant throughout his life.