Keaton Middleton had the type of year last season that thousands of hockey players who have toiled away in the minors dream of.
He made it.
So, after five months with the Colorado Avalanche and what looks like a spot sewn up on the NHL roster before training camp even began, how did Middleton approach his first exhibition contest? He met with the biggest, meanest-looking dude on the other team at center ice during warmups and agreed to a fight.
“I don’t have an identity crisis. I know who I am,” Middleton said. “I’ve known who I am for years. That won’t be a problem for me. I know my game and I know what to do to help our team win.”
Aside from a quick stint with an injury-riddled Avalanche team in April 2021, Middleton spent the previous six seasons in the American Hockey League. He began year No. 7 of his professional career in the minors, too, but then the Avs gave him another chance.
Middleton played Nov. 30, 2024, for the Colorado Eagles, was called up to the big club two days later and hasn’t played in the AHL since. He appeared in 41 games for the Avalanche last year and settled into the NHL as a guy who played on the third pairing when needed.
“It was a learning experience,” Middleton said. “It was like a cup of coffee, maybe even half a pot, but I want another pot now. I spent a lot of time playing professional hockey at the AHL level, and now you get a taste of this, you want to do whatever you can to stick around.”
When last season ended, Middleton was Colorado’s No. 8 defenseman. Ryan Lindgren signed with Seattle, and Brent Burns arrived in early July. Erik Johnson was seventh on the depth chart and remains available as an unrestricted free agent, but there isn’t a spot in Denver for him because, with Burns, the Avs already have four right-handed shots at the position.
While the Avs added further depth at forward late in the summer, the NHL depth chart on the blue line hasn’t changed. That certainly looks like a vote of confidence from the organization.
“He’s a physical, hard, stay-at-home defender and he improved his puck play enough to the point where now he’s come up and played games for us and played well and been able to help us,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Just has to continue to do that. He has an element there of toughness that is nice to have in the lineup sometimes. He earned the right to come up last year and hopefully he earns the right to stay here again this year.”
When everyone is healthy, Middleton slots in as the No. 7 guy. Given that Samuel Girard is in a race against time to get healthy with a lower-body injury, Middleton might even get to play on opening night for the first time in his career.
So this camp feels a lot different for the 27-year-old Edmonton native, right?
“Yes, but also no, because I know I’m still fighting for a job,” Middleton said. “I’m always fighting for a job. That’s a position I’ll be in for my career. The only difference is now I know I’m an NHL defenseman, and I have the capability to be one. But there’s always new guys, young guys, guys having good camps.
“I have to fight for a spot. I’ll be like that ’till I’m 40. It’s just how it is, just the mindset that I have.”
Middleton spent a couple of seasons with the San Jose Sharks organization, so he knew Burns from training camps years ago. They might be partnered at times this season, if Bednar wants his two biggest defensemen on the ice together.
They also skated together this summer for a few weeks before camp began.
“The way he shoots and gets pucks to the net and gets it through lanes, I’ve been trying to watch,” Middleton said. “I had one shot that was similar to what he does in the preseason game (Saturday). So maybe I can add that. I’m not going to break an ankle on the blue line, but just getting more pucks through and finding different ways to do it.”
Trying to find little ways to improve his overall game has been a staple of Middleton’s career and part of the grind that eventually led to his NHL breakthrough. But he’s still a 6-foot-6, 240-pound guy who has to embrace the rugged aspects of hockey.
So, when Curtis Douglas, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and 242 pounds, was in the lineup for Utah at Magness Arena, Middleton offered a reminder of what isn’t going to change. He and Douglas spoke briefly during warmups and then dropped the gloves for a spirited fight 1:51 into the first period.
“I’ve been playing against (Douglas) for years and he’s just that big, tough presence,” Middleton said. “It’s just the physicality of the game. It’s part of my game. So that’s just how it is.”
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