Alex Gagne has put himself right on the edge of an NHL opportunity.
The 23-year-old left defenseman lands at No. 13 in the Colorado Avalanche Top 25 Under 25, and after a solid first pro season with the Colorado Eagles, he’s now in position to force the issue. Gagne is listed as a likely Colorado Eagles player for 2026-27, but the Avalanche will have a close eye on him in camp and preseason, and a call-up sometime this season is very much on the table.
That would be a notable rise for a player who arrived in Colorado as something of a surprise free-agent signing out of the NCAA. Tampa Bay had drafted him in the sixth round in 2021 but never signed him, and the Avalanche scooped him up after his run at the University of New Hampshire. The former Wildcats captain wasted no time showing he could handle the jump to pro hockey.
At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Gagne is built for the kind of work that doesn’t always show up in highlight reels. He’s a penalty-kill specialist with a long reach, using it to disrupt plays and knock pucks away before opponents can get comfortable.
His frame helps him clear the front of the net, and his hockey sense gives him more value than the score sheet alone suggests. Offense isn’t his calling card, but his physical presence and intelligence make him a tough player to deal with.
His college resume reflected that same steady, dependable profile. Gagne wore a leadership role at UNH for three straight seasons, serving as captain in his final two years and as an alternate captain during his sophomore season. He finished with 48 points in 139 games, but it was his work away from the puck - especially on special teams - that drew the attention of pro scouts.
That translated quickly once he reached the Eagles. Gagne paired with Keaton Middleton almost immediately, and Middleton helped show him how to use his body type in the pro game. In 58 regular-season games, Gagne produced one goal and 12 assists, then added another layer to his game in the playoffs with three goals and two assists in 17 games as Colorado advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
He also became a key part of the penalty kill alongside Jayson Megna, Jack Ahcan, and Middleton. A late-season wrist injury cost him more than a month, but he returned early and played through the pain, much like others around him.
The playoffs brought more adversity. In Game Seven against the Chicago Wolves (CAR), Gagne injured his ankle and couldn’t finish the game. He kept testing it and even took a couple of shifts, but the Eagles were eliminated with his defensive contribution already plain to see.
The Avalanche noticed. Gagne got the chance to practice with the NHL club a few times during the postseason, and that only strengthens the sense that he’s on the organization’s radar. Joe Sakic and Jared Bednar will be watching closely when camp and preseason open, because Gagne has a real path to an NHL debut this season.
In Other News...
Avalanche Add A Scorer Who Could Earn A Bigger Role Fast
The Colorado Eagles have added another forward with some real upside, signing Francesco Arcuri to an AHL two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. Arcuri arrives as a former Dallas Stars sixth-round draft pick who spent last season producing for the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL, and he has already gotten a small taste of the next level with five games for the Texas Stars.
For the Avalanche organization, the interest is in whether that scoring touch can carry up with more consistency. The Eagles are clearly hoping Arcuri can turn a strong lower-level season into a steadier AHL presence, which would make him more than just a depth addition if he handles the jump the way they believe he can. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Familiar Pressure That Could Define This Season
After winning the Presidents Trophy and getting back to the Western Conference Final last spring, the Avalanche enter this season with a familiar kind of burden: expectations. Colorado has spent the past few years living at the sharp end of the NHLs contention race, and that kind of success naturally invites a harder question than most teams face, which is not whether they can make the playoffs, but whether they can keep that level from slipping.
The warning sign is right there in recent league history, where a Presidents Trophy season has sometimes been followed by a sudden drop-off, even to the point of missing the playoffs entirely. Colorado knows the other side of that equation too, with recent postseason exits still fresh enough to remind everyone how thin the margin is at this level. The target remains the same as ever, though, and for the Avalanche it is not simply another strong regular season but a run that puts them back in the Stanley Cup conversation. [Read more 🡒]