By Corey Masisak

Copyright denverpost

Forgive the Bradley family if they scoff at the idea of a tough I-25 commute.

Chase Bradley played high school hockey at home in Oakville, Mo., a St. Louis suburb. He also played for the New Jersey Colonials in the Atlantic Youth Hockey League.

Wait, so that means …

“Yeah, I was commuting,” Bradley said. “Crazy story.”

St. Louis is not near the Atlantic Ocean, which the AYHL is named after. Oakville is, in fact, about 950 miles from Morristown, N.J., where the Colonials are based.

Google Maps says it’s a 14-hour drive. Crazy story, indeed.

“So I practiced with my high school hockey team, Oakville High School, and then we’d head up there Friday mornings,” Bradley said. “Play Friday night, Saturday morning, a little bit on Sunday. Leave Sunday and drive through the night. My mom, thank her, drove through Sunday night — right back to school on Monday.”

Thankfully, Jennifer Bradley wasn’t putting 2,000 miles on the family car every weekend. The Colonials played a lot of tournaments in the Midwest, so the commute to Chicago or Michigan was considerably shorter. And Chase didn’t play in every game for the Colonials.

Still, it was an incredible amount of effort to help Bradley further his hockey career. And it is part of what drives him now, as a guy trying to wedge his way into the Colorado Avalanche’s near-term plans.

Bradley was drafted in the seventh round, at No. 203, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2020 NHL draft. He spent a third season in the USHL, then three years playing college hockey at Connecticut. Being four years removed from his draft, Bradley had options in the summer of 2024.

He could have played another year for UConn. He could have signed with the Red Wings. Instead, he passed on both options and became an unrestricted free agent.

“It was kind of a last-second decision,” Bradley said. “I talked with my agent a bunch, my family, players who went through the same process before. My agent did a great job. I made my decision off that.”

Bradley didn’t know if there would be other teams waiting to sign him, but his agent, Peter Fish, was confident there would be.

When July 1 arrived, Bradley’s bet on himself worked out, and he signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche.

“It was definitely a risk, but I think it paid off in the long run,” Bradley said.

Not only did Bradley find a regular role with the Colorado Eagles a year ago as a first-year pro, but he also made his NHL debut with two games for the Avalanche. That probably wasn’t on his mind at his first professional training camp.

“I struggled a little bit at first. I wasn’t really familiar with anybody here,” Bradley said. “Kind of came in blind, definitely nerve-wracking at training camp last year. This (rookie) camp really helps you get to meet a bunch of the guys, be around some of the staff and kind of feel how pro hockey is. This is huge for incoming players.”

This year, Bradley was one of the veterans as the Avs split two games with Utah and Vegas at the 2025 Rookie Showcase. He’s going to be a long shot to make the Avs’ roster, especially if the forwards remain healthy.

But Bradley is one of several Eagles who could get the call when reinforcements are needed. The Avs used 49 players in the regular season a year ago.

At 23 years old, Bradley has experience, and he plays the type of game that Avs coach Jared Bednar likes from depth forwards. He’ll also have a new coach with the Eagles — Mark Letestu, who was also a bit of a long shot as a player after going undrafted, but ended up crafting a long NHL career.

Given the Avs’ championship aspirations, their brand of roster construction can always use a boost from younger players on cheap, cap-friendly contracts.

“Well, certainly there’s things I can share,” Letestu said. “Not everybody’s path is the same, but I think I’ve seen a little bit of that. Some of the drive in some of these players is evident in everything they do and where they come from. I think they’re also aware (the Avs) need players to pop off. So I think it’s real.

“Those roster spots are available, and they’re competing for them every day. So I think that competitive nature for what the Avalanche may need and what the Eagles are going to strive to be, it matches both.”

Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.