Avalanche signs Jason Polin, Matthew Stienburg to one-year contracts

On Friday, the Colorado Avalanche announced the team has signed forwards Jason Polin and Matthew Stienburg to one-year contracts through the 2025-26 season.

Both players missed significant time this past year due to injury.

Polin was limited to just 39 games with the Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Avalanche. Yet, the sharpshooter was still able to score 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points, his highest point total in a single AHL season in his young pro career.

Despite the injury-riddled campaign, the Holt, Michigan native was able to get into a couple of NHL games, playing for the Avs on Jan. 14 and 16, getting in the lineup in a win over the New York Rangers before losing to the Edmonton Oilers, respectively.

The former Western Michigan University star has appeared in nine games with the Avalanche over the past two seasons, scoring his first and so far only NHL goal on Jan. 16, 2024 against the Ottawa Senators.

In 88 career games with the Eagles, the 26-year-old has notched 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points, with a goal in 13 Calder Cup Playoff games.

Stienburg saw a little bit more time in the NHL this season, appearing in eight games with the Avs. He failed to register a point, but did amass 22 penalty minutes. He only ended up playing five games with the Eagles before an upper-body injury suffered on Nov. 1 derailed his season. Yet, even in his limited time, former Cornell University product potted a goal and two assists for three points.

Across three seasons in the AHL, Stienburg has appeared in 63 games with the Eagles, scoring six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, including an assist in seven postseason games.