Peter Holland Trying For An NHL Comeback With Colorado

The Colorado Avalanche started the preseason.  They stand at 1-1.  Colorado plays 4 more preseason games before opening the regular season on October 11 in Los Angeles.  One skater trying to make the team is Peter Holland.

            Holland hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2018 season when he was with the New York Rangers.  He played in the NHL from 2011 to 2018.  His stops included Anaheim, Toronto, Arizona, and the New York Rangers.  In his career, he has appeared in 174 regular games.  His stats don’t jump out with 36 goals and 49 assists for 85 points. Even so, he is mostly a defensive center whose job is to kill penalties.

            In the 2018-2019 season, he was in the AHL (American Hockey League).  He started with the Harford Wolf Pack, an affiliate of the New York Rangers.  There he dressed in 52 games, scoring 20 goals and adding 29 assists for a total of 49 points.  On February 18, 2019, New York traded him to Chicago. He spent the rest of the year with the Rockford Ice Hogs.  Holland scored 7 goals and added 9 assists in 27 games for Rockford.  Following that season, he spent 2 years in the KHL and one season in Sweden.

            Holland thought his hockey career was over.  He retired from the NHL on March 16, 2022.  Colorado though is giving him one more chance.  He is on a professional tryout with Colorado.  Holland wants to impress Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar during the preseason so he can be on the opening night roster.

            According to denverpost.com, Holland said, “I was a guy in a unique situation. I didn’t have a lot of leverage in terms of where I went. When Colorado showed interest, I jumped at the opportunity. It’s a little different when you go to a place where you had to chase down the opportunity and it’s a little different when they show interest your way. When they showed a little interest my way, I said, ‘Where do I sign the PTO?’”

            There is one position Colorado is looking for, the 4^th line center.  Holland is trying to earn that spot.  The Avalanche will give him a fair shot at it.  In the end, his play will determine his fate.  The Avalanche are looking to be a playoff team for the 7^th year in a row.  Hopefully, Holland can be part of this winning organization.