Colorado Avalanche sign Ivan Ivan to two-year contract
The Colorado Avalanche have signed center Ivan Ivan to a two-year contract, starting with the 2024-25 NHL season.
The 21-year-old undrafted forward was previously unsigned but joined the Avalanche during training camp last year as a tryout. A solid energy forward, Ivan has 12 goals and 27 points in 51 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles during his first year of North American pro hockey.
Ivan² is back for two more!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/bkFy3KCMxH
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 5, 2024Prior to joining the organization, Ivan spent three years with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, highlighted by a 90-point campaign in 2022-23. Ivan had 75 goals and 177 points in 191 games during his tenure.
Ivan has represented Czechia in various international tournaments, such as the 2017 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2022 World Junior Championship. He didn’t produce much offense in any of the events, but did show value as a speedy forward that attacks with pace.
The Eagles currently sit second in the Pacific Division with 69 points, four behind the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Colorado has been red-hot as of late with an 8-2-0 record over the past 10 games, helping to seperate them from the third-place Tucson Roadrunners.
The Avalanche, meanwhile, have 74 points, good for second in the Central Division and two points behind Dallas. Colorado is 5-4-1 over its past 10 games but are riding a two-game winning streak.
According to CapFriendly, the Avalanche entered this week’s NHL Trade Deadline with $2.229 million in cap space. Gabriel Landeskog and Pavel Francouz are both on long-term injured reserve with a combined $9 million, while Valteri Nichushkin is expected to return soon after spending time in the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program. The Avalanche have a handful of UFAs coming up this summer, including veterans Jonathan Drouin, Zach Parise and Andrew Cogliano, but most of the team’s core players are signed long-term. The team is projected to have $3.475 million in cap space for 2024-25, with Ivan expected to return to the AHL next season.