Avalanche draft-pick making headlines after shocking career decision
Photo credit: Bruce Bennett / Mile High Sticking
Former Colorado Avalanche draft-pick Drew Helleson is making headlines after signing a two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $1.1 million with the Anaheim Ducks.
Helleson was initially chosen 47th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Avalanche draft-pick shocks the hockey world.
Josh Erickson from Pro Hockey Rumors writes that Helleson made his NHL debut in the 2022-23 season, appearing in three games and scoring one goal.
Hailing from Farmington, Minnesota, he has also tallied nine goals and 38 points across 153 AHL games with San Diego Gulls.
Helleson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022, along with second-round draft pick, in exchange for Josh Manson.
The 24-year-old blueliner was a restricted free agent who had filed for salary arbitration. He's now the second Ducks player to sidestep an arbitration hearing this offseason, following goaltending Lukas Dostal, who signed a five-year deal on Thursday.
Helleson recorded 13 points in 56 games for the Ducks last season. He led all rookie defenseman with a +6 rating and logged 54:32 of shorthanded ice time.
"Helleson always projected as a shutdown defenseman at the NHL level. The results were there for him as he averaged 16:21 per game last year with 73 blocks and 99 hits, but his possession play needs to improve for him to flourish as a quality stay-at-home piece with penalty-killing upside. Perhaps a system change under incoming head coach Joel Quenneville can help accomplish that feat." -Erickson
He represented Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where he notched one assist over three games. He also played a key role in helping the U.S. capture gold at the 2021 World Junior Championship.
According to PuckPedia, the Ducks still have $21.4 million in cap space for the 2025-26 season with a projected 21-year roster. They still need to sign two key restricted free agents, forwards Sam Colangelo and Mason MacTavish, neither of whom were eligible for salary arbitration.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 18 | 33 ANSWERS Avalanche draft-pick making headlines after shocking career decision Did the Avalanche drop the ball by trading away defenseman Drew Helleson too soon? | ||
| yes | 19 | 57.6 % |
| no | 14 | 42.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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