Avalanche Call Up AHL's Leading Scorer To Bolster Blueline Depth


The Colorado Avalanche were forced to place Samuel Girard on injured reserve on Saturday, as he is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. That has now opened the door for red-hot defenseman Jack Ahcan to get the call from the American Hockey League.

After a stunningly hot start to the AHL season with the Colorado Eagles, Ahcan was actually leading the league in scoring, with four points in two games. He has a goal and three assists. He's come a long way in just over a week, since being waived by the Avalanche nine days ago. He went unclaimed and was eventually sent to the Eagles to start his season.

The undrafted 28-year-old will now take that hot start in the AHL up to the big club. 

Ahcan, a 5'8" defenseman, has been a strong point producer in the minors, posting 41 points in 69 games for the Eagles last season and 38 points the year before. He's an elite puck mover and playmaker with strong skating skills. But despite his smaller stature, he's also known for his two-way play.

Ahcan got into two games with the Avs last season, and had nine other previous games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins a few years back. 

With the Avalanche, he'll now compete with Ilya Solovyov for ice time on the third-pairing.

Photo: © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images