The Colorado Avalanche made another round of reassignments on Friday afternoon. This time it was a trio of defensemen that were sent to the Colorado Eagles. The team sending down all the players wasn’t much of a surprise. Two of the three players were on AHL contracts, so the chance of them staying with the Avalanche would have been slim. Every player has shown some promise in his own way, so the road for them does not end here. It may actually be just the beginning for them as they all enter their rookie seasons in the minor leagues.

Hank Kempf

Hank Kempf came to the Avalanche as part of the trade for Ryan Lindgren on March 1, 2025. He previously skated for Cornell, playing with Matt Stienburg and Sam Malinski his first two seasons. Since then, Kempf has made a great impression with Eagles’ fans. In his five games, Kempf has two assists already. The American focuses on his defensive game, not on scoring points. So when Kempf had a one-timer for a goal during the Rookie Showcase, it got everyone’s attention. He will be in contention for the third pair in Loveland at the AHL camp.

Saige Weinstein

Saige Weinstein was an undrafted free agent that Avalanche signed on October 6, 2023. He has been playing for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL ever since. He is one of the fortunate players who were invited to camp in 2023 and walked away with a contract. Weinstein is good at activating the play out of the defensive zone for the forwards. He just did not stand out that much to get any extra looks during camp. The team will probably send Weinstein to the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) for development.

Connor Kelley

The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Connor Kelley in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Chicago did not sign him and went to free agency, eventually signing with the Eagles. The Minnesota native played the last three years at Providence College after he played two years with Minnesota-Duluth. He is a fast defenseman who can close off the gap but may need more development. It will be hard for him to advance in a system that is pretty deep at the AHL level. The team will probably send him to the Grizzlies as well.

The defensive core when you put all three of the teams for the Avalanche together is pretty deep. What limits their ability to pull up the players is the number of players that can be on a two-way contract. The roster count for the Avalanche now sits at 48 players, with many more to be cut. Colorado will play against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, so we may see even more cuts after that game.