He will not be changing his name to Trent Minerwood, but Trent Miner has become the unofficial third member of the “Woodshed.”

“Scott and Mackenzie, they’ve both been great for me,” Miner said after shutting out the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at Ball Arena. “It’s kind of more of a friendship now. They joke around like I’m one of their brothers, so it’s been great for me.”

Saturday’s 4-0 Avalanche win over Columbus was the first of Miner’s NHL career, and to say it’s been a long road to get to this point might be an understatement.

Drafted 202nd overall way back in 2019, Miner feels like he’s been in the Avalanche organization forever because he almost has been. His path to the NHL has not been an easy one. After turning pro in 2021, he’s spent as much time in the ECHL as he has in the AHL. It wasn’t until last season, his fourth as a pro, that he got an extended run as the starting goaltender for the Colorado Eagles, one he took advantage of, posting a 22-10-9 record with a .918 save percentage.

Having coached and played at the ECHL level, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar knows a thing or two about the guys who make it to the big leagues from there.

“(Miner’s) a relentless worker and he’s a battler. That’s what he is,” Bednar said. “Goalies may be a little bit different, but there’s a handful of players that come out of the ECHL and it takes them a while and then they’re grinding in the American League and then they make their way to the NHL. You can pretty much guarantee that the guys that do that, they’re battlers, and they’re going to give it everything they got.”

One of those battlers just so happens to be the man who backed up Miner on Saturday, Scott Wedgewood.

While the 33-year-old goaltender was drafted in the third round as opposed to the seventh, he followed a similar trajectory to the one Miner is on. Wedgewood’s first full season as a pro was spent almost exclusively in the ECHL, where he started 48 games for the Trenton Titans. He got a taste of the NHL level here and there but didn’t become a full-time NHL goaltender until 2020 with the New Jersey Devils.

He knows exactly what Miner has battled through to get to this point, and if the 24-year-old goaltender ever needs someone to lean on, Wedgewood is right there.

“Advice is hard. It’s more of just being an ear,” Wedgewood told The Gazette after Miner’s shutout. “Situation-wise, waiting for your chance, it sucks. He’s got great numbers. He’s honestly got a better American League career than I did, but we talk in situations. He’s got a really awesome personality, so we kind of battle back and forth with each other. You go through, I don’t want to say learning curves, but it’s opportunity curves. You come up, they have a back-to-back, you’re hoping (but) you don’t get it, so it’s kind of like what do I got to do to get a chance? We can talk goalie things, but it’s more you’ve got to wait for your opportunity and make the most of it.”

Miner got that opportunity on Saturday, making just his third NHL start. There may not be many more of those this season, as the Avalanche are hoping to get Mackenzie Blackwood back at the end of next week.

Miner made the most of this opportunity, although he really only had one goal heading into the game.

“In all honesty, I’m just glad we were able to get the win,” he said. “For sure, it’s exciting to get my first win, but I think for us to get a win at home is just as exciting.”

While his words might say it’s just another day at the office, the smile on Miner’s face after the game says otherwise. It’s a day he’ll never forget.

And his goaltending partner sure enjoyed watching it.

“Super proud of him today,” Wedgewood said.

Avalanche 4, Blue Jackets 0

What happened: Depth and defense led the way as three of the four Avalanche goals came from defensemen.

What went right: Brent Burns, the ageless wonder. In a few months, Burns will turn 41, which makes the production the Avalanche are getting from him all the more remarkable. Burns scored twice on Saturday.

What went wrong: If the worst thing you can say is that Colorado’s top six was quiet in a game where they scored four goals, it must have been a pretty good day.

Avalanche goal scorers: Burns (7,8), Olofsson (8), Solovyov (1)

Between the pipes: Trent Miner picked up his first career NHL win and shutout with 29 saves.

What’s next: The Avalanche will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 8 p.m. Monday.