After the bulk of their available salary cap space was allocated on July first on the contracts for Jaden Schwartz and Noah Juulsen, the Colorado Avalanche subsequently made a group of other signings to fill out their organizational depth. The Colorado Eagles lost a lot of their 2025-26 roster and these contracts will go a long way to add that veterans base back and to give the Avalanche new tweener options to look at.
Clearly, the depth from the Minnesota Wild was a target as two forwards who have spent time in their organization were brought into the fold by Colorado. First up, Vinnie Hinostroza was inked to a two-year two-way contract. A former sixth round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012, Hinostroza was most recently a part of the Florida Panthers organization after getting acquired at the trade deadline. The right shot center has been part of multiple teams in his career including stints in the AHL and should be utilized as depth for both the Avalanche and Eagles.
Adam Beckman is another forward who recently played for the Wild, though he was drafted to them in the third round of the 2019 draft. The last two seasons the left wing was a part of the Bridgeport Islanders and last played in the NHL in the 2023-24 season. After losing Alex Barre-Boulet to the San Jose Sharks in free agency, the Colorado Eagles add a 30 goal scorer to help boost their offense.
Moving to the blueline, the Eagles add some youthful experience in the signing of left shot defenseman Domenick Fensore. He was originally a Carolina Hurricanes third round pick in 2019. The Hurricanes didn’t give him much of an opportunity with only three career NHL games played. Fensore’s size at 5-foot-9 might be some of the reason but he’s been a productive defenseman for the Chicago Wolves over the last three seasons. After losing defensemen Jack Ahcan and Jacob MacDonald in free agency, the Eagles need a new quarterback for their power play.
The Avalanche also inked Christian Wolanin to help their back end. He is also a left shot defenseman but with size at 6-foot-2. Originally a fifth round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2015, Wolanin has enjoyed a long pro career most recently on an AHL contract with the Providence Bruins. No doubt the Avalanche were interested in Wolanin from when he won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks where he also scored 124 points over three seasons with the team. Christian is also the son of former Avalanche and Stanley Cup champion Craig Wolanin.
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