‘What An Addition’: Avalanche, Hinote Excited About Their Reunion

The rookies hit the ice for the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, signaling the start of hockey season in Denver. Later today, they’ll all head to Los Angeles for the Rookie Faceoff tournament, but before doing so, they spent nearly two hours getting some work in on the ice.

They did so with a familiar face to Avalanche fans helping them out.

Dan Hinote, hired by the organization to be an associate head coach for the Eagles this season, is expected to play a crucial role in the development of some of the young players the Avalanche have in their organization. Having spent several seasons as an assistant coach at the NHL level, most recently with the Nashville Predators, he’ll bring a wealth of knowledge to the farm club.

The Avalanche are excited to have him back in Colorado, and Hinote is excited to be here. Apparently excited is his default state, though.

“He’s always excited,” Avalanche Director of Player Development Brian Willsie told the media on Thursday. “He’s excited when he gets out of bed in the morning.”

Back in July, Hinote went on a podcast in Nashville and talked about why he decided to take a job in the AHL after spending most of his time behind the bench at the NHL level. It turns out his passion for helping young players develop is a big reason why he took the Eagles job.

And the Avalanche are really happy to have him.

“Dan and I go back a long time,” Willsie said. “We’ve known each other since the mid-90’s, but what an addition. That final step from the American League to the NHL, he is so perfect for that role. It’s a breath of fresh air, but he knows the details that it takes to be in the NHL, having coached there last few years, having been that player.”

Colorado has struggled to graduate forwards from the AHL to the NHL, and they’ll likely have some guys down there that need some help taking that next step. Oskar Olausson, Ivan Ivan, and Ondrej Pavel, just to name a few, are some guys who could use that guidance to reach the next level. Maybe Hinote is the guy that will help get them there.

The Avalanche seem confident he is.

“We’re excited,” Willsie said. “(Hinote) is really knowledgeable in getting those players over the hump to get there, but to stay there as well.”