With his college career complete, Michigan center T.J. Hughes was arguably the top player in this year’s free agent class. He has found his next team as the Avalanche announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal will begin next season; Hughes has signed a PTO with AHL Colorado for the remainder of 2025-26. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the agreement will carry a $952.5K cap charge with a $1.025MM AAV. That consists of an NHL salary of $850K, a signing bonus of $102.5K, and a $72.5K games played bonus.
Hughes has been one of the top players in the NCAA in recent years. The 24-year-old came up just shy of a point per game in his freshman year at Michigan back in 2022-23, managing 36 points in 39 games. He surpassed that mark in his sophomore and junior seasons, putting up 48 and 38, respectively. That made him a popular speculative candidate to turn pro after each of those years but he opted to return to the Wolverines each time.
That proved to be a good move for Hughes as he saved his best for last. He played in 40 games this season, picking up 22 goals and 35 assists, good for second in Division I scoring. Those efforts made him a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in college hockey although that ultimately went to Detroit prospect Max Plante.
Hughes is a nice pickup for the Avs who have seen their prospect and draft pick pools get depleted in recent years with their continued efforts to load up their NHL roster. Hughes was expected to have a strong enough market to really be selective about where he’d land and he’s chosen an organization that should be able to give him big minutes in the minors with the Eagles. While they’ve recently shored up their center situation with the reacquisition of Nazem Kadri and last year’s pickup (and extension) of Brock Nelson, there still could be room for Hughes to make the jump to the NHL as a winger. Either way, it’s a nice addition to Colorado’s prospect pool.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the signing.
The goods teams just get better.
If he is willing to also play RW, I wonder if this is the best situation for him. He could have possibly joined Fantilli in Columbus or Nazar in Chicago and reunited with college teammates on 2 improving teams. Maybe those 2 teams weren’t pursuing him though, but there are other good fits. At his late age for a UFA, he likely doesn’t want to play long in the AHL