St. Thomas junior forward Cooper Gay has signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.
Gay is the first Tommie in program history to receive an NHL entry-level contract. He attended the Avalanche development camp during the summer of 2024.
In 94 games for the Tommies, Gay tallied 35 goals and 23 assists for 58 points over the last three seasons.
The Hanover, Minn., native was top two in the CCHA this season with 19 goals and seven power-play goals. He set career-high marks in goals, assists (11), points (30), power-play goals, games played (35), and plus-minus (plus-6) during the Tommies’ 19-win 2024-25 season.
Gay was part of Coach Rico Blasi’s “believer” class, the first crop of freshman recruited to join the Tommies back in 2022-23, their second season of Division I hockey. He was the third in program history to record a 30-point season.
