Colorado Avalanche sign Jeremy Hanzel to three-year, entry-level ...

The Colorado Avalanche have signed defenseman Jeremy Hanzel to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Hanzel was an overage selection by the Avalanche at last year’s NHL Draft, going 187th overall. Hanzel played one preseason game with Colorado this year before embarking on his final year of junior hockey.

Currently in his fourth WHL season, Hanzel recently set a career-high of 50 points in 58 games, just beating out his 13-goal, 48-point run a year ago. Hanzel has spent his entire major junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds after originally going undrafted in the WHL.

Hanzel was especially impressive during the Thunderbirds’ playoff run last year, registering 22 points in 19 games en route to a league title and a spot in the Memorial Cup. He also had a WHL-best plus/minus rating of +70 last season while playing heavy minutes for the Thunderbirds.

Prior to starting his major junior career, Hanzel split the 2019-20 season between the Vancouver NE Chiefs U-18 AAA team and the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express.

Hanzel is a strong defenseman who handles the puck well and can make smart plays with the puck. While he isn’t anything special in any specific categories, he has an all-around skillset that makes him intriguing.

The Avalanche are second in the Central Division with 74 points, just two behind the Dallas Stars. They are 5-4-1 over the past 10 games but are coming off a monster 7-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. The Avs will return to action against Minnesota on Friday before getting the weekend off ahead of a meeting in Calgary on Tuesday.