LOVELAND — Ivan Ivan knows it is going to come up at some point.
Teammates, coaches, fans, media members … eventually, someone is going to ask him about his name. It’s never mean-spirited, but people are always curious.
“It is funny,” Ivan said. “A lot of people think my parents hate me or something. I find that pretty crazy. If my parents hated me, they wouldn’t let me play hockey. It’s one of the most expensive sports.
“My parents wanted me to be special, so it’s not a common name.”
Ivan took an uncommon path to the NHL this season. He’s trying to defy pretty long odds, but it’s exactly the type of development success story the Colorado Avalanche needs as the franchise tries to find supporting cast members for its high-priced core of elite talent.
After a promising start to his first NHL season, Ivan spent the second half of the year re-adjusting to life in the AHL. Now, he’s trying to help the Colorado Eagles chase down a Calder Cup championship, with an eye toward becoming a more permanent part of the Avs’ plans next season.
“When we first saw him at rookie camp and (summer development) camp, we were seeing some tools and we got a little excited,” Eagles coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “You want to be realistic because it’s just rookie camp, but we knew we had something. Getting to know Ivan as a player and a person, he’s been coachable. He wants to learn. He wants to prove he belongs. And he just continued to work every day.
“He’s persistent. It’s been a great find for the organization.”
Marek Ivan played in the WHL as a teenager. His professional career in North America was brief, but he spent two decades playing in Europe, mostly at home in Czechia.
When his eldest son was mapping out his path, he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps. So Ivan left home for Cape Breton in the QMJHL in 2019.
His first season was an adjustment, but Ivan felt like his second year would be a lot better and help him find a place in the 2021 NHL draft. But the COVID-19 pandemic that cut his first season in North America short was unrelenting.
He spent the 2020-21 season on loan with his hometown club, which is in the third division of Czech hockey. Ivan practiced a lot, and then practiced some more. He played a total of five league games, plus some time at the Czechia world juniors camp.
“It was tough, especially after coming home from playing in Canada,” Ivan said. “I knew I was ready for a big season, but it happened and I’m glad my hometown team let me skate and all that. I think I could have gotten a better chance of playing more than just being in the taxi squad.”
He fell off the draft radar, but back-to-back strong seasons with Cape Breton after that earned him an AHL contract with Colorado. Ivan was a breakout player for the Eagles last year as a rookie, and by March, he had inked his first NHL entry-level deal.
When the Avs were missing key NHL forwards in training camp, Ivan seized the opportunity. When Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen returned, Ivan kept his place. At one point, he had five goals and eight points in 22 games.
Eventually, he hit the rookie wall. After 18 games without a point, it was time to return to the Eagles. That adjustment can be hard for young players, especially after making the dream come true.
“It’s a big difference. It feels like it was hard to switch the tempo and style of hockey, especially after 40 games,” Ivan said. “You get used to the habits on the ice. It’s just different. Just trying to work hard, and trying to figure out my game in the AHL again.”
The guy who buried one-timers on the power play from Nathan MacKinnon in October while also playing a responsible brand of hockey took a while to show up in his second go-round in Loveland.
Ivan had 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games for the Eagles last season, but just two and 12 in 31 contests after the demotion. His play started to perk up, and he’s been a key player for the club in six Calder Cup games. The Eagles and Abbotsford are tied 1-1 in a best-of-5 quarterfinal series, with Game 3 on Wednesday night at Blue Arena.
“There was an adjustment period, but he was very mature about it,” Schneekloth said. “He understood. And we’re starting to see it. It’s the most important time of the year right now, and he’s been a great player for us.”
The Avs have 11 forwards under contract for next season, but also a few key free agents. A player like Ivan proving he can be an everyday guy in the bottom six for less than $1 million against the salary cap could be a boon for a club that needs to find bargains.
Given the amount of draft capital the Avs have dealt away, players like Logan O’Connor, Sam Malinski and Ivan can help make up for that. Next season is going to be a huge one for the kid with two first names and the tools to be another undrafted success story.
“There were a lot of takeaways that I’m going to go through this summer. The big thing is consistency. It’s the thing every player has to work on. You have to try and stay on the same line, instead of having a lot of ups and downs,” he said.
“I’ve got to be more offensive. I think my defensive game was really good, but my offensive game was a little worse. I need to get stronger, get my head in the right place and just be more consistent.”
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Originally Published: May 21, 2025 at 4:52 PM MDT
