The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Alex Barré-Boulet to a one-year, two-way contract per a team release.
Barré-Boulet led the AHL’s Laval Rocket in scoring this season with 22 goals and 63 points in 64 games. He became just the second Laval skater to reach the 40-assist mark in club history, joining defenseman Matt Taormina, who notched 48 assists in the 2017-18 season. Barré-Boulet was one of 12 AHL skaters to reach that mark this year. He also appeared in two NHL games this season.
It was yet another strong season in Barré-Boulet’s long history of minor-league success. He’s a perennial AHL scorer, and even reached a career-high 60 assists and 84 points with Syracuse in the 2022-23 campaign. Through his career, Barré-Boulet has notched 50-or-more points in five of his seven AHL seasons – and totaled 365 points in 358 career games.
Despite that fantastic minor-league scoring, Barré-Boulet hasn’t yet found his stride at the NHL level. He’s appeared in 70 games across five seasons, but only has 12 goals and 18 points to show for it. His 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame is slight for the major league ranks, which has made it difficult to beat NHL opponents with only his sharp skill. He could be an interesting addition to a Colorado Avalanche depth chart with space in the bottom-six and a precedent for making the most of top-end minor-leaguers. At worst, he’ll head for a high-scoring, top-line role with a Colorado Eagles lineup that finished second in the AHL’s Pacific Division last season.