The Colorado Avalanche have signed their first college free agent of the season. Friday morning, the team announced they had signed defenseman Gustav Stjernberg from Bowling State University. He signed a two-year contract beginning in the season of 2026–27. He will join the Colorado Eagles on an AHL contract for the rest of the season. In 86 career colligate games, Stjernberg had 14 goals and 23 assists.

Stjernberg’s style of play

The defenseman will block the puck no matter what. He led Bowling Green with 34 blocked shots last season. But he will also not be afraid to take shots either. In 30 games during his sophomore year, Stjernberg took 89 shots on goal. He led the d-core for the team with his six goals last season and finished sixth on the team in scoring overall.

Prior to playing at Bowling Green, Stjernberg played for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL for one season. There he had eight goals and 20 assists in 62 games. He played most of his junior career in Sweden with Örebro HK J18 and J20.

At 6-foot-4, Stjernberg will bring some decent size to the blue line for the Colorado Eagles for the rest of the year. The challenge involves incorporating him into the roster. The Eagles have Alex Gagne, Keaton Middleton, Sean Behrens, Jacob MacDonald, Bryan Yoon, Jack Ahcan, Wyatt Aamodt and Ronnie Attard on a good day. Hank Kempf’s return looms following extensive time off because of a shoulder injury.

Either way, Stjernberg will bring another healthy body to the roster. A roster that is down nine players because of injuries right now. He may get a game or two, which is typical for a free-agent signee. This only continues the trend that the Avs have had over the last couple of years. Since they have traded away their picks, they need to fill the gaps with college free agents.