With the 2025 NCAA 16-team tournament field now set, many players who aren’t participating are free to sign contracts and begin their professional careers. This opens a prime opportunity for the Colorado Avalanche to bolster their organizational depth by adding players to the Colorado Eagles for the fall, as well as filling out a rookie tournament roster.
As part of this effort, the Avalanche signed two players to NHL contracts: goaltender Isak Posch and left-winger Cooper Gay. Both are 23 years old and have signed standard two-year Entry Level Contracts starting in the 2025-26 season. The two players are from collegiate programs in Minnesota, with Posch hailing from St. Cloud State and Gay an alum of St. Thomas. Gay is a familiar face to the Avalanche organization, having attended development camp in 2024, though he didn’t participate on the ice due to injury.
The signings were followed by a report from Mayors Manor, an insider for the LA Kings, revealing that the Avalanche will host a portion of the Rookie Faceoff in September, where prospects from Utah and Vegas will compete. Meanwhile, the California teams are expected to play their games in Anaheim.
Colorado was initially set to host the event for the first time since the inaugural 2016 tournament, but it was decided they lacked enough facility space to accommodate the full six-team group. However, the event will still take place at the South Suburban Complex in Littleton, rather than the Family Sports Center. While dates, times, and public access details are yet to be announced, the event is expected to occur over the weekend of September 12-15.
Hosting this event is costly and requires significant team resources, so the decision was made to split the event this year. Colorado will now host a three-team format, featuring the Vegas Golden Knights and the Utah Hockey Club, at South Suburban Sports Complex.
