Avalanche coach sees Giants star Byram “as a guy who can come in and help us win hockey games”

Bowen Byram has finished his quarantine and is practising with the Colorado Avalanche.

The 19-year-old from Cranbrook, who starred with the Vancouver Giants the past three WHL seasons, and veteran Erik Johnson (COVID-19 protocols) skated as Colorado’s eighth and ninth defencemen on Sunday, according to coach Jared Bednar.

Byram had a seven-day quarantine after heading to Denver from the world junior bubble in Edmonton, where he helped Team Canada win a silver medal. He also hit the ice on Saturday.

Bednar was asked on a Zoom call Sunday if he had a timeline regarding when Byram might see game action with the Avalanche, the team that picked him fourth overall in the 2019 NHL draft in Vancouver.

Bednar said he did. And then he paused.

“I’m not going to reveal it. I don’t think there’s any need to give out any information to help other teams prepare,” he said, smiling all the while.

He did go on to elaborate, of course. He explained that Byram was going to go over some extra video for the next two or three days to study up on Colorado’s systems and structures, and then likely skate with the team for “four or five days,” before being in the mix to play.