The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Matthew Phillips to a one-year deal, the team announced.
Phillips, 26, played 31 games for the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023-24 regular season, totaling five points (one goal and four assists).
The 5’8″, 160-pound forward played nine AHL games with the Hershey Bears, scoring three goals and six points. He also participated in six playoff games as the team won their 13th Calder Cup championship.
The Calgary Flames originally drafted Phillips in the sixth round (No. 166 overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. A native of Calgary, AB, Phillips played his junior career with the WHL’s Victoria Royals before turning professional with the Flames organization in 2018.
Over the next five seasons, Phillips primarily played in the AHL, where he was the leading scorer for the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers in his last three seasons. However, he only made three NHL appearances with the Flames before departing as a free agent in 2023.
Throughout his AHL career, spanning parts of seven seasons with the Heat, Wranglers, and Bears, Phillips accumulated 106 goals and 243 points in 274 games. He has also played in 34 NHL games with the Flames, Capitals, and Penguins.
Phillips is the second former Flame to sign a one-year contract with the Avalanche in recent days, following defenseman Oliver Kylington. While Kylington is expected to start the season with the NHL team, Phillips might begin the year with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
The Avalanche concluded the 2023-24 regular season with a 50-25-7 record and 107 points in 82 games, finishing third in the Central Division. They advanced to the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating the Winnipeg Jets but were ultimately eliminated by the Dallas Stars in a seven-game series in the Western Conference semifinals.
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