Sean Behrens redshirted his first season in professional hockey. Not by choice, though.

After a strong training camp that earned him a few preseason games with the Colorado Avalanche, the organization sent the former second-round pick to the Eagles to get some seasoning in the American Hockey League. Unfortunately, that seasoning never occurred, as just one week later, the now 22-year-old defenseman tore his ACL.

“Kind of a freak accident in practice,” Behrens said after the first day of Avalanche development camp this week. “Guy fell on my leg, tore my ACL. That’s tough. It sucked … just looking forward to getting back on the ice and being a part of the team again, playing hockey.”

The injury forced Behrens to miss the entire season, a less than ideal scenario for any 21-year-old defenseman. That’s a crucial year of development down the drain. The good news is that he’s getting back into the thick of things.

When the Avalanche announced the roster for the development camp, he was probably the biggest name on there. While he’s still skating in a non-contact jersey, he’s almost 100%.

“Really close. I should be cleared for contact here in a couple weeks and looking forward to be ready for training camp,” he said.

Behrens, who has two national championships under his belt from his three years at the University of Denver, spent the season rehabbing in Loveland. Barring an incredible training camp, that’s likely where he’ll start this October.

He’s just happy to be back playing the game he loves.

“Having last year taken away from me in a sense sucked, but it kind of fuels you a little bit more to have another opportunity, being able to have another crack at it,” he said. “I’m really thankful for how everything worked out last year. Even though it was tough circumstances, it was a really good year and I thought I learned a lot.”

Avalanche quiet on day two of free agency…until late

There wasn’t a ton of action on day two of free agency, and for the second day in a row the Avalanche were quiet…until late in the evening when they signed veteran defenseman Brent Burns to a one-year contract.

The top free agent on the market is Nikolaj Ehlers, who has yet to sign with anyone. Colorado has been rumored to be one of the teams pursuing the 29-year-old winger but it would be a surprise if it was able to lock him down. The Danish winger is reportedly looking to sign in a quieter market after playing in Canada most of his career.