Red Deer Rebels captain Beckett Hamilton savours memorable Avalanche debut

He smiled from ear to ear while talking about the experience.

“It felt pretty cool,” he told local media members at the Centrium. “It’s a pretty surreal moment hearing the goal horn and looking around and seeing the fans. Having my family watch and then talking to them after it was pretty insane. Obviously, I’m still chasing the first regular season one, so that’s next.”

Hamilton gets one in his FIRST preseason NHL game 🚨 pic.twitter.com/yZTiv4bdPO

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 21, 2026

Hamilton’s goal came 8:54 into the second period in a matchup against the Utah Mammoth at Ball Arena in Denver.

Hamilton nearly scored on the offensive rush just moments before.

He missed the initial opportunity off the feed from Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, but linemate Martin Necas forced a turnover by a Mammoth defender and fed Hamilton, who was left open in front of the net.

“At the start, Gabe was driving wide, and I missed the first one. He sent one backdoor, and I couldn’t really see it. I got a stick on it, and it went behind the net. Then the play kind of turned back up the ice, and Necas was right there and knocked it down with his skill, which was a pretty impressive play. I ended up being at the backdoor, and he threw it over. It was a pretty easy tap-in from a player like that. I was pretty fortunate to get that one,” Hamilton added.

“It happened pretty fast… One second you think you’re back checking, but then you get a backdoor tap-in.”

Necas ➡️ Hamilton

You love to see it 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ozx936not5

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 21, 2026

Hamilton was sent back to Red Deer with more knowledge of the game. He said it became apparent that at each level, the details of the game become stricter.

“At that level, that’s the top, so seeing how they go day to day and just how important every little thing is on and off the ice,” Hamilton added. “I’ve still got to get bigger and mature in that way, but I’ve got to hold myself accountable for that. I learned that from all of those guys there in how they treat themselves and the things they do away from the ice. It’s cool to see, and getting a taste of that is nice.”

In a media availability this week, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Colorado Hockey Now reporter Aarif Deen that Hamilton’s play throughout training camp stood out.

So much so, he got the opportunity to play with plenty of veteran players.

“He is a young kid, right? He’s got top-nine potential. That’s what he has. He’s a skill player,” Bednar said. “But coaches were really impressed with him in San Jose and what he did there. They thought he was a really noticeable impact player for the games he played. I talked to Jussi [Ahokas] about him, and everyone raved about his rookie camp. So I thought he did a nice job in practices.

“I played him with Lehky and Marty because I wanted him to play with some skill, and I wanted him to play against other teams’ top guys, so he could kind of feel where his game needs to grow. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

Bednar added that they sent Hamilton back to the WHL to continue developing his game.

“He’s going back to junior,” the Avalanche’s bench boss said. “We’ll see what his plan is after that for the next year. I’m sure colleges will be after him as well. He has to keep growing his game. But I think for a third-round pick, that’s a heck of a pick.”

What impressed Hamilton the most during his first taste of professional hockey was the pace of play and discipline.

“It’s the fastest league in the game, so it’s very impressive how they do that. You’re playing so many games, and for those guys to be able to bounce back and be their best every night, it’s hard to be your best every night. To try to be, it’s impressive,” Hamilton said.

Last April, Hamilton was named the 50th Rebels captain in franchise history, taking over for Talon Brigley, who aged out after last season.

Hamilton said he’s met Landeskog a few times since the summer and called him the picture-perfect captain for the Avalanche.

As captain of the Rebels, he said there’s a lot he can learn from a player of his stature.

“There’s so many things that he does that I want to take from him. He’s had an unbelievable experience being a captain in the league, and he’s also a winning captain, which is huge,” he said. “I would just want to take, honestly, everything he does off and on the ice. His habits, the way he holds everyone accountable, including himself, and he helps everyone out. If you need anything, he’s always the guy to go to… I’m trying to be like that this year, so he was an unbelievable example for that.”

The Rebels opened the regular season last weekend, when they dropped two close contests. The first was a 3-2 shootout loss in Calgary, followed by a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the home opener on Saturday.

Hamilton said he watched both of the games in his hotel in Colorado and felt they should’ve won both.

Despite that, he’s excited to make his season debut beginning this Friday in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes, followed by a 6 p.m. matchup with the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday at the Centrium.

“I’m pumped,” Hamilton added. “I’m really excited to be back and to get back out there with the team and get some wins.”

by Ian Gustafson

Red Deer Rebels captain Beckett Hamilton savours memorable Avalanche debut

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