The Colorado Avalanche added another layer to their front office on the eve of their regular-season opener, promoting Andrew Cogliano to assistant general manager.
Cogliano, 39, had been working as a special assistant to the general manager since 2024. He was brought in by Chris MacFarland before MacFarland’s departure in June, and now he’s moving into a bigger role inside the organization.
“I’m grateful and thrilled for this opportunity to take on a more advanced position with the Avalanche,” Cogliano said in a team release. “Since I retired, the Kroenke family, Joe, and the entire organization - past and present - have been great to me and my family with the transition. This second career has gone as well as I could have hoped when I decided it was time to move on from playing the game, and I’m excited to keep working toward our goal of winning another Stanley Cup.”
His work in the front office has already covered a wide range of responsibilities. In his previous job, the Toronto native handled player development, professional and amateur scouting, and work with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.
He also played an important part in scouting T.J. Hughes during the forward’s senior year at Michigan, frequently going over video with Hughes as part of the preparation for the NHL.
Cogliano stayed on after Joe Sakic returned to the GM chair, and around the organization he had come to be viewed as a significant presence in the hockey operations group. The team has not yet said exactly how his day-to-day duties will shift with the promotion.
“We’re extremely lucky to have Cogs in the front office, and he’s been a key member of our staff since he decided to retire as a player,” Sakic said. “We’re excited to give him more responsibility and make more meaningful contributions toward building and sustaining championship-contending teams in all levels of our organization.
Cogs is a great communicator, and that skill will be invaluable for our program. This is a well-deserved promotion.”
Before moving into management, Cogliano spent the final three seasons of his playing career in Colorado and helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 as a key fourth-line piece after arriving at the trade deadline.
Over 1,294 regular-season games with the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Avalanche, he put up 190 goals, 274 assists and 464 points. In 131 career postseason games, he added 13 goals and 40 points.
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