The Avalanche announced today that they’ve signed forward Jere Innala to a one-year, entry-level deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.
In doing so, the Avs dip their toes into international free-agent waters. Innala, 26, is an undersized sniper who was never drafted by an NHL club, but the Finnish winger has been a mainstay in the two top leagues in Scandinavia for the past six years.
Standing at 5’9″ and 183 lbs, Innala has spent the last two seasons with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League. His point production there has been decent, totaling 26 goals and 54 points in 94 regular-season games, but not reminiscent of the point-per-game pace he flashed in his native Liiga with HPK and HIFK in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
However, Innala is coming off an electric postseason showing with Frölunda that boosted his NHL stock. While they were eliminated in seven games by eventual champion Skellefteå AIK in the league semifinals, Innala still managed to lead the league in playoff scoring with 11 goals and 15 points in 14 games. He also capped off his season with a solid showing for Finland at the World Championship, scoring twice and adding three assists in eight games en route to being named a top-three player on the team.
Innala’s game relies on his speed and edgework to be effective, lacking the strength or checking ability to compensate for his frame. As such, the likelihood of him playing in the NHL next season is slim, but he could be a leading scorer for the Avs’ minor-league affiliate.
That’s not to say he doesn’t have any NHL upside – there’s likely a ceiling of him making the team as a fourth-line scoring winger with power play time. With his cheap entry-level cap hit, that could prove beneficial for a club dealing with a confirmed season-opening absence of top-six forward Valeri Nichushkin and another potential absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog as he continues to recover from multiple knee surgeries.
Innala will turn 27 next March, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent upon completing his deal.