Former Penticton Vees Captain Tyson Jost has signed a three-year entry level contract with the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced Wednesday.
Jost was selected in the first round, 10th overall, by the Avalanche in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft last June in Buffalo, New York.
“The most rewarding aspect of being a coach is seeing your players achieve their dreams,”said Vees president, general manager and head coach Fred Harbinson in a team statement. “From the first day I met Tyson his dream was to do everything possible to someday have an opportunity to play in the NHL; it is now a reality and I couldn’t be happier for him and his family.”
The St. Albert, Alta, native played in 33 games as a freshman at North Dakota in 2016-17, ranking second on the team in points (33), goals (16), assists (19) and plus/minus (+17). He also set a UND single-season record by winning 60.1 percent of his faceoffs and earned National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) All-Rookie Team honors despite missing seven games. Jost, 19, was also named to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team with one goal and three assists in two games, figuring in on all four UND goals in the tournament.
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Earlier this year, Jost won a silver medal with Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal. He collected one goal and three assists in seven games.
“We are excited to announce that Tyson has signed his entry-level contract and will be joining us for the rest of this season,” said Avalanche executive vice president/general manager Joe Sakic on Avalanche.com. “Tyson is an all-around player. He competes, plays the game hard and is reliable at both ends of the ice. He just finished a strong year at North Dakota and we’re looking forward to seeing him in an Avalanche sweater.”
Jost could make his NHL debut on March 31st when the Avalanche hosts the St. Louis Blues.
Last season Jost was named the BCHL Most Valuable Player after amassing 42 goals and 104 points in just 48 regular season games with the Vees. He led the BCHL in assists (62) and points per-game average (2.17). He also had an impressive 19-game point streak during the regular season, compiling 42 points. He added another six goals and 14 points in 11 playoff games last spring. In 97 career regular season games over two seasons in the BCHL, Jost compiled 65 goals and 149 points. Jost was also named the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top Forward and Most Valuable Player, and was named the RBC National Player of the Year.
At the 2016 World Under-18 Hockey Championship Jost Captained Team Canada and set a new Canadian scoring record at the tournament, picking up 15 points in 7 games, breaking Connor McDavid’s record set in 2013. Jost led the tournament in scoring and was named the Top Forward of the event.