Avalanche activate Miles Wood after 27-game absence due to upper-body injury

The Colorado Avalanche announced Sunday that left winger Miles Wood has been activated from the injured reserve after missing the past 27 games due to an upper-body ailment.

On the season, Wood has been limited to 16 appearances in which he has recorded two goals and one assist for three points alongside 12 penalty minutes. Skating in his second season with the Avalanche, Wood wrapped up the 2023-24 campaign with 26 points counting nine goals and 17 assists coming in 74 contests before adding another three goals in 11 postseason appearances.

A 29-year-old native of Buffalo, N.Y., Wood joined the Avalanche in the 2023 offseason, signing a six-year deal in unrestricted free agency worth $2.5-million per season, according to PuckPedia.

Prior to joining the Avalanche, Wood has spent part of eight seasons with the New Jersey Devils, highlighted by 2017-18 when he finished with a career high of 32 points counting 19 goals and 13 assists across 76 contests. In all, through 492 total appearances, Wood has registered 89 goals and 88 assists for 177 points.

Wood rejoins an Avalanche squad in the midst of the playoff race in the Western Conference. On the season, the Avalanche sit 28-20-2 to hold down the second wildcard seed with 58 points. Facing the Boston Bruins on Saturday, the Avalanche debuted their new-look lineup, counting fellow forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, following Mikko Rantanen’s departure to the Carolina Hurricanes.

After falling 3-1 to the Bruins, the Avalanche will look to rebound when the club heads to Manhattan on Sunday to take on the New York Rangers. Sunday’s showdown marks the second meetup between the Avalanche and Rangers this month following a January 14 contest in which Colorado prevailed 3-2 in overtime that saw Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews net the game-winning tally while netminder Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 27 shots en route to the victory.