Jonas Holos Provides Spark to Colorado Avalanche's Power Play Woes

Emerging out of camp in a sea of more highly touted prospects was a Norwegian defenseman the Colorado Avalanche used a Hail Mary pick on in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

It may have taken him four games to draw into the lineup, but the presence of rookie Jonas Holos is paying dividends.

Formerly of Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Elite League, Holos's experience playing in a professional league, as well as his participation in the 2010 Winter Olympics for Norway has helped the 23-year-old defender adjust quickly to life in the NHL.

So quickly that he's gone from a healthy scratch to an un-benchable player.

The sudden turn around can be linked to the characteristics in Holos's game that have been lacking in many of the Avalanche's recent defensive squads.

Most notable is the speed Holos brings to the table.

Post-lockout NHL has seen the game transition to a much quicker pace, every team sporting multiple defensemen who aren't shy about about joining the rush. There's still a role for the Adam Footes and Mike Komisareks of the world, but they're a dying breed.

Liles has been a good two-way defenseman for the Avalanche in recent years, but has been alone in that role. Speedster Kyle Cumiskey has helped pick up some of the slack since his injection into the lineup at the beginning of last year, but has left something to be desired offensively, producing only seven shots on net through six games in 2010-2011.

Contrarily, Holos has four shots in his first two games, and his biggest contribution has been igniting the Avalanche's useless power play.

As good as John-Michael Liles has been, anchoring the power play alone with his mediocre slap shot isn't a possibility. Playing forward Milan Hejduk on the point the first four games wasn't helping matters, as not only did the team only score on two of their chances, but allowed a league high three short handed goals against.

Since putting Holos opposite Liles, it's forced opposing penalty kills to respect his shot, while allowing Liles to be more aggressive with the knowledge someone will be back covering for him (see: Milan Hejduk) should something go awry.

The result: two power play goals in the past two games.

Holos is the first of many pages that will be turned in the on-going struggle that is the Colorado Avalanche's defense.

A complete turnaround won't happen over night, but the breath of fresh air provided by Holos's play gives promise that the Avalanche's Achilles heel can turn into a strength in the future.