As the no. 1 seed in the Western Division and the 2025-26 NHL President’s Trophy champions, the Colorado Avalanche seem nearly unbeatable. Now only days away from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Avalanche might have just gotten better.
On Saturday, April 11, ESPN’s NHL insider Emily Kaplan announced that the Avalanche signed Michigan Wolverines top college free agent T.J. Hughes.
The team later tweeted stating, “[Hughes] will join the Colorado Eagles on an AHL Professional Tryout agreement (PTO) for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.”
An AHL Professional Tryout agreement is a 25-game contract allowing players to play in the AHL without a standard player contract. PTOs help teams fill roster holes and can be terminated at any time.
Getty
Avalanche Win The Race For College Hockey Superstar T.J. Hughes
The 24-year-old out of Hamiliton, Ontario was rated as the highest-profile college free agent, after an unbelievable college career in Michigan. Hughes capped his college career finishing second in scoring with 57 points and a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in Division I NCAA men’s hockey.
Hughes also had the honor of leading the Wolverines as captain to a Frozen Four championship, where despite the team falling short against the University of Denver, he notched his final collegiate goal.
In his final season, Hughes curated an impressive resume for his NHL bid. He secured First Team AHCA/CCM All-America honors, the Big Ten Player of the Year, earned a Big Ten First All-Star Team selection, a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team, and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Although Hughes’ final season with the Wolverines solidified his NHL trajectory, in four seasons in Ann Arbor (2022–26), Hughes recorded 179 points in 156 games, with 69 goals and 110 assists. He was the team’s top scorer in each of his final two years and helped lead the program to three Frozen Four appearances during his tenure.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in pursuit of the Ontario native, but Hughes ultimately landed in Colorado.
Getty
Hughes Has Important Avalanche Connection With Former Teammate
Before T.J. Hughes moved to the United States for college hockey, the forward was a star in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, where he posted 194 points (94 goals, 100 assists) in 138 regular-season games and added 23 points in 11 playoff contests.
During his AJHL tenure, Hughes lead Brooks to an Inter Pipeline Cup championship in 2022, while finishing that season as the leading goal scorer and earning Forward of the Year honors.
However, their was a familiar face that shared the ice with Hughes during his time there. Brother of Cale Makar and Colorado prospect, Taylor Makar, played with Hughes from 2019 to 2021.
Now the old teammates are expected to reunite with the Colorado Eagles, in hopes of making the Avalanche roster next season.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, shares his take on the role and impact he expects Hughes to have in the following season:
“I really like the fit for Hughes in Colorado,” Wheeler said. “At 24, he needed to pick a landing spot where he was going to have an opportunity to play immediately or close to it. The Avalanche were 28th in my recent NHL prospect pool rankings and have nothing coming down the middle in their system (Gavin Brindley and recently signed college free agent Matthew DiMarsico are both pro wingers). They’ve also got a looming cap crunch and are going to need cheap, NHL-ready players to slot into their lineup next year after Sam Malinski’s new deal kicks in and guys like Jack Drury get a raise this summer.”
“Hughes has the smarts that the Avs and head coach Jared Bednar look for in players, and he will be able to process it at their level. With a good summer, I expect him to make the NHL team next year,” Wheeler stated.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post BREAKING: Colorado Avalanche Sign Top College Free Agent appeared first on Heavy Sports.