Ross Colton contract: Avs avoid arbitration, sign forward for four years

Ross Colton, the 26-year-old hockey center for the Colorado Avalanche, has inked a four-year contract worth $16 million on July 17.

The Colorado Avalanche acquired hockey forward Ross Colton from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the 37th overall pick of the 2023 NHL draft.

Ross Colton put up a fantastic performance during the most recent NHL season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored 32 points with 16 goals and 16 assists in 81 games.

The Lightning selected Colton with the 118th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He has accumulated 83 points with 47 goals and 36 assists in 190 NHL games during his time at Tampa Bay.

Ross Colton has distinguished himself in the postseason, accumulating 19 points in 52 playoff games with 10 goals and 9 assists. The Lightning won the championship when he scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.

Ross Colton’s remarkable career achievements

The Avalanche star played 69 NCAA games from 2016 to 2018. He amassed 50 points with 28 goals and 22 assists during his tenure with the University of Vermont.

He was selected for the Hockey East All-Rookie Team after his outstanding freshman campaign. Colton accumulated an astounding 99 points with 53 goals and 46 assists in 113 career games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders between 2014-2016.

Colton played 131 games with the Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2018 and 2021, scoring 76 points with 26 goals and 50 assists. He added one goal in four Calder Cup Playoff contests which led him to sign with the NHL.

Ross Colton became the ninth player in Tampa Bay Lightning’s history to score 20 or more goals in either his first or second NHL season. He scored a career-high 22 goals during the 2021-22 campaign.