Taylor Makar’s breakout season continues with first pro experience

LOVELAND — To say the past month has been a whirlwind for Taylor Makar would certainly be an understatement.

One weekend, he was scoring two goals to help Maine win the Hockey East tournament for the first time in 21 years. The next, he felt the thrill of playing in the NCAA Tournament and the despair of being knocked out in the opening round.

A few days later, he signed his first professional contract and then made his AHL debut with the Colorado Eagles.

“It’s been fun. Definitely a fast pace, leaving school and everything,” Makar said. “I’m really excited, and I feel like I’m learning a lot already the last few practices and in the (first) game. It was great to get my feet wet. I’m just learning a lot, watching all the older guys, how they treat themselves. Just trying to emulate them and learn as much as I can right now.”

Makar was a seventh-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2021 NHL draft. He had critical development cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, and then he spent three seasons playing at UMass, where his brother, Cale Makar, had become a star.

Blessed with size — he’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds — and strong skating, the younger Makar has always been a tantalizing prospect, but the breakthrough never happened at UMass. So, he transferred to Maine for his senior season.

It turned out to be a great move. He had 18 goals and 30 points in 36 games for the Black Bears — surpassing his totals from three years at UMass combined.

“I think it was everything, to be honest, just a whole new reset,” Makar said. “The coaching staff was amazing for me. They let me know when I needed to be better, and would encourage me to watch video, stuff like that.

“It was definitely a good stepping stone, but now that I’m in a pro atmosphere here, I’ve got to keep growing.”

The tools have always been there, dating back to his days with the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL. He might have had a breakout year in 2020-21 with the Bandits, but he only played in 14 games.

Makar had a quick start with Maine — four goals in his first four games — but then a bit of a lull. He found a new level of production in the second half of the season, including 12 goals in his final 16 contests.

He signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Avs for next season and an amateur tryout deal to join the Eagles for the end of their regular season and playoff run.

“(Makar) looks completely different to me,” Eagles coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “You get into some of these (summer) development camps, and there’s a lack of intensity, a lack of game structure in those situations. But I’ve met with them over the years about what his expectations are in college hockey, what he wants to work on, and he’s a student of the game. He’s a good self-evaluator.

“He knows what he wants to work on and what he needs to improve on to have success at this level, and we’re going to help him.”

Makar has played in three games for the Eagles, including both of the contests Gabe Landeskog was part of this past weekend. He had spent some time with the Avalanche captain the previous summer when he was in Makar’s hometown (Calgary) to meet up with a doctor about his repaired right knee.