DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Ondrej Pavel to a two-year, entry-level contract for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the club announced Thursday.
The former Minnesota State University standout will join the AHL's Colorado Eagles on a professional tryout contract for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
Pavel, 22, recently finished his junior season at Minnesota State, where he recorded 15 points (6 goals/9 assists) in 39 games. He's skated in 94 career games with the Mavericks, tallying 41 points (18 goals/23 assists) from 2020-23. He also helped the Mavericks capture the CCHA championship in his sophomore season in 2021-22 while appearing in all 44 games.
The 6-foot-2, 204-pound center skated in 98 career USHL games with the Fargo Force from 2018-20, tallying 33 points (15 goals/18 assists). He was named team captain during the 2020-21 season, recording 20 points (11 goals/9 assists) in 40 outings and adding two goals in two playoff appearances.
Before playing in the USHL, Pavel skated in 48 North American Hockey League games with the Minot Minotauros, tallying 18 points (8 goals/10 assists) in the 2017-18 season.
The Prague, Czech Republic native represented his country at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, appearing in five games. He also skated for Czech Republic at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording 3 goals in five outings.
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