Avalanche Look to Continue Success with Polin & Malinski Signings

As the Colorado Avalanche gear up for another postseason run and battle for the top spot (and home ice advantage) in the Central Division, the club, including general manager Chris McFarland and President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic, is also looking to the future. The end of March saw the team ink two players to professional tryout contracts (PTOs) with the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, with the contracts officially beginning next year. The two university players will report to the Eagles for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, though, activating the PTOs. Sam Malinski and Jason Polin finished their senior year at east coast universities before reporting to the Eagles.

About Defenseman Sam Malinski

A recent graduate of Cornell University, Sam Malinski was named the hockey team’s captain in his senior year, where he also recorded 26 points (including eight goals and 18 assists) in 34 games. He ended the season ranked third on the team and first among defensemen in points, as well as second on the team in assists. He was also the first Cornell defenseman to be named to the conference’s first team in consecutive seasons since Douglas Murray in 2003, according to the Avalanche press release.

Malinski signed a two-year deal and will report to the Eagles for the remainder of the season, and the 24-year-old Lakeville, Minnesota native played a total of 91 games for Big Red, collecting 65 points. He also earned an All-Ivy League honorable mention selection in his junior year, in 2021-22. He consistently was among Cornell’s assists leaders throughout his college hockey career.

Western Michigan Senior Jason Polin is a Right-Winger

The Avalanche also signed another former captain, Jason Polin, who also completed his senior year–but this time at Western Michigan University. The Avalanche press release notes that Polin, a right-winger and Holt, Michigan native, recorded 47 points (including 30 goals and 17 assists) in 39 appearances this season. His 30 goals led all NCAA skaters and set a National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) record, according to the release.

Jason Polin Western Michigan University
Jason Polin, Western Michigan University (Ashley Huss/Western Michigan Athletics)

Polin ranked second on the Western Michigan University team in points, recorded five hat tricks on the season, and was named the NCHC’s Player of the Year. He’s also a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. In a total of 132 games with the Western Michigan University Broncos, the right-winger recorded 96 points (60 goals and 36 assists).

Final thoughts

Signing college hockey players is a smart move for the Avalanche for a whole host of reasons. Firstly, according to CapFriendly, the Avalanche are running with really limited draft picks in the coming years (four each in 2023 and 2024, and five in 2025), and acquiring talent from universities allows them to look to the future with less risk, as a wasted or poorly scouted draft pick could have stronger implications on the future than a college PTO.

Related: Avalanche’s MacKinnon & Rantanen Both Chasing 100 Points

What’s more, the Avalanche are no strangers to players with illustrious college careers, and many enjoy success on their roster. J.T. Compher, for example, had a huge impact on his team at the University of Michigan. More recently, the Avalanche nabbed Ben Meyers, who enjoyed a successful college career with the University of Minnesota, and the prospect is working his way through the Avalanche system. Young forward Alex Newhook found success at Boston College, and Sampo Ranta and Evan Rodrigues also enjoyed college success.

Most notably, superstar defenseman Cale Makar won the Hobey Baker Award in April of 2019, stepped onto the ice in an Avalanche jersey three days later and never looked back. He is the best example of a college hockey success story in recent memory, and maybe in NHL history. And, of course, the Avalanche would love nothing more than to strike that same success twice.

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