If you thought having two Sebastian Aho’s was confusing, get ready for Josh Anderson. That’s one of the newest members of the Colorado Avalanche organization, as the defenseman signed his entry-level contract today, along with Travis Barron. Both players inked three-year entry-level deals, signing before the deadline of June 1st.
Anderson, 19, is finishing up his fourth full season in the WHL, playing for the Swift Current Broncos in the playoffs. He was traded during the year, and ended up with just 14 points on the year. That doesn’t inspire much confidence in his offensive abilities, but that’s not what the Avalanche are hoping to get.
Selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, he has been used as a reliable shutdown defender for his entire junior career, and looks like he’ll have a chance to continue that in professional hockey. That means there isn’t a lot of top-4 upside to his game, but could be a useful penalty killer and third-pairing option down the road.
Barron on the other hand, put together the best season of his junior career this year with 57 points in 67 games and has started to unlock the potential that made him the third-overall pick in the OHL midget draft. He’s always been noted as a two-way player that can do everything for your club, but hasn’t shown much that made him stand out offensively. Only 19-years old still, there is still a lot of time for him to round out his game as a professional and make an impact for the Avalanche down the road.