NAHL, Minotauros alum Pavel makes NHL debut
Ondrej Pavel, who made his NHL debut on November 7th, played in the NAHL for the Minot Minotauros during the 2017-18 season, which included an appearance at the 2018 Robertson Cup.
Former North American Hockey League (NAHL) and Minot Minotauros forward Ondrej Pavel made his NHL debut on Tuesday night (November 7th) with the Colorado Avalanche in their 6-3 home win over the New Jersey Devils.
Pavel played 10 games for the Colorado Eagles (AHL) before his call-up on Monday, November 6. He held a plus-5 rating with six penalty minutes in Loveland.
From Praha, Czechia, Pavel played two games for the Colorado Eagles (AHL) in 2022-23 after 39 games for the Minnesota State Mavericks in his third collegiate season. The left-shot center appeared in 94 games for the Mavericks with 18 goals, 23 assists and 41 points. Last season he held a plus-6 rating with 34 penalty minutes, 30 blocked shots and one game-winning goal. He finished the spring with 15 points (six goals, nine assists).
Back on April 3, 2023, Pavel signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Pavel skated in 48 North American Hockey League games with the Minot Minotauros, tallying 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) in the 2017-18 campaign. He appeared in 12 postseason outings and recorded six points (2 goals/4 assists), helping his team finish as the runner up for the 2018 Robertson Cup.
The Prague, Czech Republic, native represented his country at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, appearing in five games. He also skated for Czech Republic at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording three points in five outings.
