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Ross Colton

Position	Center / Left Wing	Current Team	Colorado Avalanche
Shoots	Left	Current Contract	4 years
Height	6'0"	Expires	2025-26
Weight (lbs)	194	Expiry Age (Jun 30)	29
Age	29 (Sep 11, 1996)	Expiry Status	UFA
Drafted	2016, Round 4, Overall 118 (TBL)

Date	Team	Transaction
Dec 7, 2024	Colorado Avalanche	Activated from LTIR
Dec 2, 2024	Colorado Avalanche	Placed on LTIR
Oct 29, 2024	Colorado Avalanche	Placed on IR
Jul 17, 2022	Colorado Avalanche	Signed 4 years @ $4.000M AAV starting in 2022-23
Aug 9, 2021	Tampa Bay Lightning	Signed 2 years @ $1.125M AAV starting in 2021-22
Oct 10, 2020	Tampa Bay Lightning	Signed 1 year @ $700K AAV starting in 2020-21
Jun 26, 2018	Tampa Bay Lightning	Signed to an entry level contract.

Status History Coming Soon

2025-26 Player Card

URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20252026/ross-colton-8479525.png

2024-25 Player Card

URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20242025/ross-colton-8479525.png

2023-24 Player Card

URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20232024/ross-colton-8479525.png

About Player Cards

Player cards present an infographic of a players performance. In this case it shows the player performance over a 3 season span. Each square is separated into three separate sub-boxes with the two smaller boxes on top representing the past two seasons and the larger box on the bottom representing the current or most recent season. This allows the reader to guage how consistent a player has been, and if early in the season it can help identify whether a players performance may be impacted by small sample size and subject to regression or is consistent with recent past performance.

Notes and Definitions

The numbers represent percentiles so the higher the better.
Percentiles are determined by comparing Forwards to Forwards and Defensemen to Defensemen.
Bursts/mi are calculated from NHL Edge Data are are speed bursts above 20mpg per mile skated. The NHL doesn't adjust for ice time so the players that skate more will naturally have more bursts over 20, or at least more opportunity to have more. The NHL also does not provide ice time in the context of NHL Edge Statistics, however, it does provide distance skated. By adjusting for distance skated it will have a similar effect to adjusting for ice time but also adjust for situationional effect. For example, Players don't typically skate as much on the PK, mostly within the defensive zone, so don't get significant opportunity in that ice time to get speed bursts above 20mph. Adjusting with miles skates would account for this better than adjusting with ice time.
Sh%AE is Shooting Percentage above Expected (Sh% - xSh%) and is an indicator of how good a shooter is at converting chances into goals.
Relative statistics are On Ice - Off Ice statistics and can be an indicator of whether the player makes his teammates better or worse.
All data is 5v5 except Shooting Hardest and Average, Skating Top Speed and Bursts/mi which are all situations, ES Average which is even strength (NHL doesn't give a specific definition).

Data Sources

Salary data is from TheStanleyCap.com
Shooting and Skating (except Sh%AE) are from NHL Edge
Other statistics are from Puckalytics.com and derived from data from NHL.com

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5v5 Individual Stats

Season	Team(s)	GP	TOI	G/60	A/60	Pts/60	xG/60	GAE/60	Sh%	xSh%	Sh%AE	%SA Rush	%SA Reb.
2020-21	TBL	30	289:34	1.66	0.62	2.28	0.92	0.74	20.00	11.08	8.92	3.70	1.85
2021-22	TBL	79	855:03	1.40	0.77	2.18	1.00	0.40	14.71	10.49	4.21	2.87	9.77
2022-23	TBL	81	884:49	0.68	0.75	1.42	0.93	-0.25	8.26	11.30	-3.03	1.69	8.43
2023-24	COL	80	926:50	0.71	1.17	1.88	0.93	-0.22	9.32	12.17	-2.85	3.12	5.21
2024-25	COL	61	732:22	0.66	0.90	1.56	0.95	-0.30	8.51	12.35	-3.84	1.99	7.28
2025-26	COL	20	237:53	0.76	1.77	2.52	1.16	-0.41	6.98	10.72	-3.74	1.59	7.94

5v5 On Ice Stats

Season	Team(s)	GP	TOI	SAF/60	GF/60	xGF/60	SAA/60	GA/60	xGA/60	GF%	xGF%	xGF Rel	xGA Rel	xGF% Rel
2020-21	TBL	30	289:34	37.09	2.90	2.28	33.98	1.86	2.07	60.87	52.43	-0.19	-0.11	-0.68
2021-22	TBL	79	855:03	43.93	2.67	2.80	40.21	2.39	2.47	52.78	53.15	0.11	-0.04	1.40
2022-23	TBL	81	884:49	44.28	2.03	2.65	40.96	2.58	2.56	44.12	50.88	-0.18	-0.09	-0.74
2023-24	COL	80	926:50	48.55	2.65	3.04	42.73	2.91	2.56	47.67	54.25	0.38	0.15	1.79
2024-25	COL	61	732:22	43.34	2.13	2.47	37.28	1.80	2.03	54.17	54.94	-0.08	-0.18	1.27
2025-26	COL	20	237:53	51.71	3.03	3.11	36.82	2.27	1.99	57.14	61.01	0.05	-0.34	4.15

NHL Edge Stats

		Skating				Shooting					Zone Time
Season	GP	Top Speed	Bursts>20/mi	Avg. Speed	ES Avg. Speed	Top Speed	Avg. Speed	%Long Range	%Mid Range	%High Danger	ES DZ%	ES NZ%	ES OZ%
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Legend

Percentile 0-25

Percentile 25-50

Percentile 50-75

Percentile 75-100

Forwards are compared with forwards and Defensemen are are compared with Defensemen.

5v5 Lines

Season

Season	Teammate	Teammate	Team	TOI	GF/60	GA/60	GF%	xGF/60	xGA/60	xGF%	xGF Rel	xGA Rel	xGF% Rel
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Glossary

Type	Statistic	Definition
Individual	G/60	Goals Against per 60 minutes.
Individual	A/60	Assists per 60 minutes.
Individual	Pts/60	Points per 60 minutes.
Individual	xG/60	Expected Goals per 60 minutes.
Individual	GAE/60	Goals Above Expected (G/60 - xG/60).
Individual	Sh%	Shooting Percentage.
Individual	xSh%	Expected Shooting Percentage.
Individual	Sh%AE	Shooting percentage above expected (Sh% - xSh%).
Individual	%SA Rush	Percentage of shot attempts determined to be on the rush.
Individual	%SA Reb.	Percentage of shot attempts determined to be from rebounds.
On Ice	SAF/60	Shot Attempts For per 60 minutes.
On Ice	GF/60	Goals For per 60 minutes.
On Ice	xGF/60	Expected Goals For per 60 minutes.
On Ice	SAA/60	Shot Attempts Against per 60 minutes (lower is better).
On Ice	GA/60	Goals Against per 60 minutes (lower is better).
On Ice	xGA/60	Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (lower is better).
On Ice	GF%	Goals For Percentage = Goals For / (Goals For + Goals Against)
On Ice	xGF%	Expected Goals For Percentage = Expected Goals For / (Expected Goals For + Expected Goals Against)
On Ice	xGF Rel	xGF/60 when On Ice - xGF/60 when not On Ice.
On Ice	xGA Rel	xGA/60 when On Ice - xGA/60 when not On Ice (lower is better).
On Ice	xGF% Rel	xGF% when On Ice - xGF% when not On Ice.

Individual and On-Ice stats from Puckalytics.com (starting in 2015-16). NHL Edge Stats from edge.nhl.com (starting in 2021-22). Edge statistic definitions can be found at the Edge Stats Glossary.

News and Opinions

Avalanche notes: MacKinnon, Necas surpassing expectations, Colton impresses, much-needed rest at Mile High Sticking (Tue Nov 18, 2025)
Ross Colton and Jack Drury shine as Avalanche extend preseason win streak at Mile High Sticking (Wed Oct 1, 2025)
7 Observations: Golden Knights Stumble in Final Preseason Road Game at Vegas Hockey Now (Wed Oct 1, 2025)
Colton and Drury Find Chemistry in Avs Preseason Win at Colorado Hockey Now (Wed Oct 1, 2025)
Deen’s Daily: Leafs Land Another Bargain Contract; Ross Colton Back At Center? at Colorado Hockey Now (Mon Sep 29, 2025)
Where Will Ross Colton Fit In The Avs Lineup? (+) at Colorado Hockey Now (Thu Sep 25, 2025)
Previewing the Colorado Avalanche’s new-look third line of Drury, Colton, and Olofsson at Mile High Sticking (Fri Sep 19, 2025)
Colorado Avalanche Training Camp Day 1: Standouts, Surprises, and Depth on Display at Mile High Hockey (Thu Sep 18, 2025)
Deen’s Daily: RIP Ken Dryden; Habs Move Carey Price Contract; Ross Colton on the Wing at Colorado Hockey Now (Sat Sep 6, 2025)
Season Preview: Can Ross Colton Thrive as a Full-Time Winger? at Colorado Hockey Now (Fri Sep 5, 2025)
Keys to the Stanley Cup: Colorado Avalanche climb to the peak Part 3 at Mile High Sticking (Thu Sep 4, 2025)
Why Ross Colton’s Best is Yet to Come at Mile High Hockey (Mon Aug 4, 2025)
3 Under-the-Radar Avalanche Storylines to Follow This Season at Colorado Hockey Now (Wed Jul 30, 2025)
A depth forward free agency primer for the Colorado Avalanche at Mile High Sticking (Tue Jul 1, 2025)

Current Contract

Ross Colton signed a $16,000,000 4-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche and General Manager Chris MacFarland on July 17, 2022 with an AAV of $4,000,000. This contract will start in 2022-23 and end after the 2025-26 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 4.85% of the salary cap.

Standard Contract (RFA) ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Clause	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2022-23	26		$4,000,000	$4,000,000	-	-	$4,100,000	$4,100,000	$4,100,000	RFA-arb
2023-24	27	NTC	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	-	$500,000	$3,500,000	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	RFA-arb
2024-25	28	M-NTC	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	-	-	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	UFA
2025-26	29	M-NTC	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	-	-	$3,900,000	$3,900,000	$3,900,000	UFA
Total					-	$500,000	$15,500,000	$16,000,000	$16,000,000

Signed: July 17, 2022

Team: Colorado Avalanche

GM: Chris MacFarland

Exp. Status: UFA

Cap %: 4.85

Previous Contracts (show) (hide)

Ross Colton signed a $2,250,000 2-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and General Manager Julien Brisebois on August 9, 2021 with an AAV of $1,125,000. This contract will start in 2021-22 and end after the 2022-23 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 1.38% of the salary cap.

Standard Contract (RFA) ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2021-22	25	$1,125,000	$1,125,000	-	-	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	RFA-arb
2022-23	26	$1,125,000	$1,125,000	-	-	$1,250,000	$1,250,000	$1,250,000	RFA-arb
Total				-	-	$2,250,000	$2,250,000	$2,250,000

Signed: Aug 9, 2021

Team: Tampa Bay Lightning

GM: Julien Brisebois

Exp. Status: RFA-arb

Cap %: 1.38

Ross Colton signed a $700,000 1-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and General Manager Julien Brisebois on October 10, 2020 with an AAV of $700,000. This contract will start in 2020-21 and end after the 2020-21 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 0.86% of the salary cap.

Standard Contract (RFA) ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Clause	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2020-21	24		$700,000	$700,000	-	-	$700,000	$700,000	$100,000	RFA-arb
Total					-	-	$700,000	$700,000	$100,000

Signed: Oct 10, 2020

Team: Tampa Bay Lightning

GM: Julien Brisebois

Exp. Status: RFA-arb

Cap %: 0.86

Note: Guaranteed minimum salary is $125,000.

Ross Colton signed a $1,535,000 2-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and General Manager Steve Yzerman on June 26, 2018 with an AAV of $767,500. This contract will start in 2018-19 and end after the 2019-20 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 0.97% of the salary cap.

Entry Level Contract ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2018-19	22	$767,500	$925,000	$182,500	$92,500	$650,000	$742,500	$70,000	ELC
2019-20	23	$767,500	$925,000	$132,500	$92,500	$700,000	$792,500	$70,000	ELC
Total				$315,000	$185,000	$1,350,000	$1,535,000	$140,000

Signed: June 26, 2018

Team: Tampa Bay Lightning

GM: Steve Yzerman

Exp. Status: RFA-arb

Career Statistics

			Regular Season									Playoffs
Season	League	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	Shots	Sh%	TOI/G	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	Shots	Sh%	TOI/G
2009-10	AYHL 13U	Mercer Chiefs 13U AAA	37	31	42	73		34
2010-11	AYHL 14U	Mercer Chiefs 14U AAA	30	19	28	47		26
2011-12	AYHL 15U	Mercer Chiefs 16UA	19	19	5	24		12
2012-13	AYHL 16U	New Jersey Rockets 16U	22	22	18	40		14
2013-14	High-CT	Taft Rhinos	24	25	18	43
2014-15	USHL	Cedar Rapids	58	18	15	33	+14	22	99	1,820.0		3				-4		3	0.0
2015-16	WJAC-19	USA U19	5	4	1	5
2015-16	USHL	Cedar Rapids	55	35	31	66	+32	79	209	1,670.0		5	1		1	-1	2	16	630.0
2016-17	NCAA	Univ. of Vermont	33	12	15	27		22
2017-18	NCAA	Univ. of Vermont	36	16	7	23	-11	47
2018-19	AHL	Syracuse Crunch	66	14	17	31	+9	36				4	1		1	-5	2
2019-20	AHL	Syracuse Crunch	62	11	31	42	-2	64
2020-21	AHL	Syracuse Crunch	3	1	2	3	+1
2020-21	NHL	Tampa Bay Lightning	30	9	3	12	+3	16	46	19.6	10:34	23	4	2	6	+4	12	32	12.5	10:14
2021-22	NHL	Tampa Bay Lightning	79	22	17	39	+4	24	159	13.8	12:48	23	5	4	9	-2	13	39	12.8	13:08
2022-23	NHL	Tampa Bay Lightning	81	16	16	32	-8	50	153	10.5	12:21	6	1	3	4		4	8	12.5	13:28
2023-24	NHL	Colorado Avalanche	80	17	23	40	-8	61	146	11.6	13:43	11	1	3	4	+2	2	14	7.1	13:01
2024-25	NHL	Colorado Avalanche	61	16	13	29	-1	18	125	12.8	14:25	1						1	0.0	7:04
2025-26	NHL	Colorado Avalanche	22	4	7	11	+5	5	53	7.5	13:07
NHL Career			353	84	79	163	-5	174	682	12.3	13:01	64	11	12	23	+4	31	94	11.7	12:01