Avalanche sign Nikita Novosyolov to entry-level contract

The Colorado Avalanche announced on Monday that they have signed Russian goalie Nikita Novosyolov to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Novosyolov, a six-foot-two 21-year-ld native of Krasnoturyinsk, Russia, had an excellent season with Gronyak-UGMK of the VHL, where he posted a .932 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average across 40 appearances that saw him finish with a 22-10-8 record in the regular season.

Things did not go as well for him in his limited action at the KHL level with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, where in three games he surrendered a 5.33 GAA while turning aside shots at a .870 clip.

With Gornyak-UGMK in 2024-25, Novosyolov was good for a 14-4-5 record with a .934 SV% and 2.88 GAA.

The Avalanche are coming off of a season that was mostly phenomenal but ended in crushing disappointment. Colorado cruised to the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the NHL in the regular season by getting off to a historically hot start before cooling down a bit to close out the year.

When the Stanley Cup Playoffs started, the Avs kicked right into gear, sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first round before making quick work of a well-regarded Minnesota Wild team with a five-game series win in the second round.

Just as it looked as though Colorado was well positioned for its second Stanley Cup in four years, the club was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final as superstars Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon were seriously hampered by their respective injuries.

Amid rumors that general manager Chris MacFarland could be departing the organization for an elevated role with the Nashville Predators, team president Joe Sakic may be navigating his franchise through a change-heavy summer.

With Novosyolov now in the fold, Sakic and Co. have this year’s goalie tandem of MacKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood under contract for next season along with Trent Miner, Isak Posch and Ilya Nabokov all signed to deals that fill out the organization’s goaltending spots in the minor leagues.