CHASING 300
Ryan Smyth enters Thursday’s game needing just one goal to reach 300 for his NHL career, while Milan Hejduk needs two goals to hit the 300-plateau. Hejduk, who has spent his entire career with Colorado, will become only the fourth player in franchise history to reach 300 goals, joining Joe Sakic (625), Michel Goulet (456) and Peter Stastny (380). Hejduk and Sakic (391) will be the only players to score 300 goals with the Colorado Avalanche (since 1995-96). The last set of teammates to both score their 300th goal in the same season was Bobby Holik and Slava Kozlov with Atlanta in 2006-07. Before that, you have to go back to Ulf Dahlen and Scott Young with Dallas in 2002-03.


AVALANCHE CHARITY BRUNCH
The Avalanche will host its annual Charity Brunch on Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Denver Marriott City Center. The event will include a silent auction, brunch and a fashion show with players and coaches escorting ambassadors from The Children's Hospital.

Click here for more information


WOLSKI NAMED FIRST STAR OF THE WEEK
Wojtek Wolski was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for the period ending Jan. 11. Wolski led all NHL scorers last week with six points (four goals, two assists), including two game-winning goals, as the Avalanche went 3-0 and moved into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference race.  Wolski tallied both Colorado goals in a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators Jan. 6, notched the game-winning goal and added an assist in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Jan. 8 and recorded two points (1g/1a) in a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Jan. 10.


RAYZOR'S STREAK ENDS AT SEVEN
Andrew Raycroft saw his seven-game winning streak come to an end with a 4-3 loss in Columbus on Tuesday. Rayzor's streak was a career high and the longest by an Avalanche goaltender since David Aebischer won seven in a row from Jan. 3-17, 2006. Raycroft went 7-0 with a 2.11 GAA and .928 Sv% during that stretch (427 mins, 208 shots, 15 GA). His streak ended up tied for the fourth longest in franchise history.

Player                         Games            Dates                                          
Patrick Roy                 11 games      Jan. 12 - Feb. 7, 1999
Stephane Fiset          9 games        Oct. 18 - Nov. 18, 1995
Jocelyn Thibault        8 games        March 6-26, 1995
Andrew Raycroft        7 games        Nov. 29, 2008 - Jan. 10, 2009
David Aebischer        7 games        Jan. 3-17, 2006
David Aebischer        7 games        Oct. 21 - Nov. 10, 2005
Patrick Roy                 7 games        Jan. 10-30, 2001
Patrick Roy                 7 games        Oct. 10-28, 2000
Clint Malarchuk         7 games        Dec. 31, 1985 - Jan. 11, 1986
Dan Bouchard           7 games        Nov. 24 - Dec. 10, 1983


MID-TERM DRAFT RANKINGS RELEASED
NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft were released this past Monday. London Knights center John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman top the North American and European skater rankings, respectively. The 2009 Entry Draft will be held June 26-27 in Montreal. Full rankings are listed here below.

North American Skaters

North American Goaltenders

European Skaters

European Goaltenders


HAYNES FEATURED ON NHL NETWORK
Avalanche play-by-play announcer Mike Haynes was featured in the latest episode of the NHL Network's "Voices". Click here to watch a segment of the program, as Haynes recalls Colorado's Stanley Cup runs in 1996 and 2001.


RYAN SMYTH ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
You sent in the questions and now Ryan Smyth provides the answers. The veteran left wing recently sat down and tackled your questions in the latest edition of “Ask an Av.”


GAUNCE NAMED OHL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cameron Gaunce has been named the OHL’s Defenseman of the Month for December. Gaunce led all league blueliners with 16 points (4g/12a) in 11 games during the month, tallying five multi-point games. He currently ranks second on the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in scoring with 35 points (13g/22a) in 40 games, a total that ranks seventh among all OHL defensemen.

Click here to read about Gaunce and the rest of Colorado’s prospects in this week’s farm report.