The Colorado Avalanche signed goaltender Ilya Nabokov to a two-year entry-level contract on Friday.
The Russian spent the past two-plus years with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk and was named the KHL Rookie of the Year for the 2023-24 season.
Colorado selected him in the second round (38th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the first goaltender picked that year.
The Avs experienced a season of transition at the goaltender position in 2024-25. They traded Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen less than two months into the season and acquired Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood; six players in all made at least one start between the pipes for Colorado.
