The Colorado Avalanche have apparently been looking all over the globe to add depth to their organization for next season. On Thursday, they announced the signing of forward Jere Innala, a Finnish forward who just got done terrorizing the Swedish Hockey League in the playoffs.
Listed at 5’9″, 179 pounds, the 26 year old winger put up modest stats during the regular season, picking up 28 points in 42 games. During the postseason he really cranked it up, leading the SHL with 11 goals and 15 points. He also registered five points in eight games for Finland at the World Championships.
I spoke to a scout who works for a team in the Swedish Hockey League and needless to say, he’s very happy he won’t have to deal with him anymore. Look for that report later today for CHN+ members.
Innala signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche, but don’t go penciling him into the NHL lineup just yet. I’d say there’s a better chance he ends up a depth forward playing in the AHL at this point in time. Colorado is likely to lose quite a few AHL forwards to free agency, so they’ll need some bodies for the Eagles.
Here’s more information on the forward from the press release sent out by the Avalanche.
The 5-foot-9, 183-pound forward spent the last two seasons with Frolunda, tallying 54 points (26g/28a) in 94 regular-season games and added 20 points (13g/7a) in 24 SHL Playoff games from 2022-24. Prior to making the move to the SHL, Innala played professionally for the SM-Liiga’s HPK and HIFK programs from 2016-22, registering 181 points (86g/95a) in 290 regular-season contests. In 2018-19, Innala posted 24 goals in the regular season to set a professional career-high and chipped in 11 points (2g/9) in 18 Liiga playoff games to help HPK capture the league championship. The forward’s final campaign in the Liiga saw him notch professional career-highs in assists (30) and points (48) during the regular season with HIFK.
This is the first move the Avalanche have made in a few weeks, and with the NHL Draft and free agency rapidly approaching, things will start to pick up real soon. Stay tuned to CHN for all your Avalanche news.
