Avalanche place Trent Miner on waivers

The move comes shortly after it was announced that fellow netminder Mackenzie Blackwood will be dressing for the Avalanche for the first time this season on Tuesday night, backing up Scott Wedgewood as the team faces the New Jersey Devils. Blackwood briefly spent time with the Avs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, on a conditioning loan.

If Miner clears waivers on Wednesday, he would be eligible to be sent back to the Eagles.

Miner had been with the team since the start of the season due to Blackwood’s absence. He appeared in just two games, being on the wrong end of a pair of extra-time losses to the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 23 and the Devils just this past Sunday. His only start came against New Jersey, which saw him allow four goals on 28 shots in an overtime loss. The 24-year-old stopped all 20 shots he faced in relief against the Hurricanes, though the Avalanche lost in a shootout.

In his two games played, Miner had a 2.12 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. In four career NHL appearances, he has a record of 1-0-2, with a .234 GAA and a .896 SV%.

Miner, once a seventh-round pick of the Avs in 2019, has truly worked his way up the pro hockey ranks to get to the NHL. Along with spending a lot of time with the Eagles over the past few years, the Brandon, Man., native also saw considerable action with the Utah Grizzlies, the franchise’s ECHL affiliate.

Last season in AHL Colorado, Miner posted a career-high 22 wins, with a 2.12 GAA, a .918 SV% and three shutouts in 38 games. He played in all nine postseason games, as the Eagles made it to the Pacific Division Final, ultimately losing to the eventual Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks.

In 68 regular-season AHL games, the 24-year-old has a record of 35-22-11, with a 2.21 GAA, a .919 SV% and five shutouts.