Ex-Abby Canuck Tristen Nielsen signs AHL contract with Colorado Eagles

A former member of the Vancouver Canucks organization is moving on.

On Saturday, the Colorado Eagles, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, announced that the team has signed forward Tristen Nielsen to an AHL contract for the 2025-26 season.

Nielsen had been with the Canucks franchise since 2021, joining Vancouver’s primary affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, after finishing his junior career in the area with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants.

After finding his footing during his rookie campaign in 2021-22, Nielsen became one of Abbotsford’s top offensive weapons the following year. With 41 points in 64 games, the Fort St. John native finished fourth on the team in scoring as well as posting a plus/minus of plus-nine. His play earned him a two-year, entry-level contract with Vancouver.

The 2022-23 season would be Nielsen’s best individual performance during his time with the Abby Canucks. He followed that up with a solid 35-point campaign in 2023-24, notching 28 points in 67 games this past year. Despite not being one of the team’s biggest scoring threats, Nielsen was able to contribute this past postseason, scoring nine points in 24 games as the Canucks defeated the Charlotte Checkers to claim the team’s first Calder Cup.

After the season, the big Canucks elected not to extend a qualifying offer to Nielsen, making him an unrestricted free agent. In 231 regular-season games with Abbotsford, he scored 52 goals and 63 assists for 115 points, totalling 185 penalty minutes along the way, along with a career rating of minus-15. The 25-year-old also scored 17 points in 36 playoff affairs.

Prior to turning pro, Nielsen played for both the Giants and Calgary Hitmen in the WHL. His best season came with Vancouver in 2019-20, when he set career highs in goals (30), assists (35) and points (65) while playing in front of current Eagles goaltender Trent Miner.

Nielsen joins an Eagles team that the Canucks defeated in the Pacific Division Final in five games. Colorado has made it as far as the third round of the postseason in three of the past five seasons.