Colorado Avalanche sign NCAA free agent forward Ondrej Pavel

The Colorado Avalanche can’t keep their hands out of the college well, apparently.

After signing forward Jason Polin and forward Sam Malinski over the past two days, the Avalanche have signed forward Onrej Pavel to a two-year contract.

Pavel recently finished his third season with Minnesota State. He had six goals and 15 points in a middle-six role for the school, a bit of a step down from his 12-goal, 22-point output the year before. He also had four assists in 11 games during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season, giving Pavel 41 points in 94 games over three years.

Pavel spent two years with the USHL’s Fargo Force as a physical two-way forward before going to college. He had 33 points in 98 games, serving as Fargo’s captain in 2019-20. Pavel also has significant experience with Czechia’s junior national teams, highlighted by his time with the World Junior Championship team in 2020.

The 22-year-old can play all three forward positions, making him flexible. An undrafted NHLer, Pavel has the makings of a bottom-six forward that plays like his career relies on being as difficult to play against to survive.

Pavel’s deal will carry a $950,000 AAV deal and will kick off in 2023-24. He’ll head to the AHL to play with the Colorado Eagles for the rest of the season before attempting to crack the roster next year.