It hasn’t been signed yet, but the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to an Entry Level Contract with their 2017 second round pick Conor Timmins.

The 19-year old is coming off of a standout performance at the World Junior Hockey Championship where he was the best defenseman on the gold medal-winning Canadian team.

Not only was Timmins among the tournament leaders for points by a defenseman, he played against the opposition’s best line almost every shift and anchored Canada’s first penalty-kill unit. When they took him 32nd overall last summer, the Avalanche knew that he was a very strong all-around defender and the World Juniors gave everyone a chance to see it.

Timmins has now returned to the powerhouse Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.

Once the ELC is signed, he would be eligible to play in both the NHL and CHL as soon as his season is finished. However, the Hounds are the best team in the Canadian Hockey League, so Timmins is expected to be a part of a very long playoff run this spring. So unless we see a major upset, Timmins is unlikely to make an appearance in the pros this season.

Speaking to people around the player, the contract is set to be signed “soon”. The deal was likely agreed upon a while ago but was being delayed for future contract purposes. Since Timmins was a late birthdate in his draft year, by signing in 2018 as opposed to 2017, his ELC will now have the potential to slide only 3 years as opposed to 4. It’s a CBA loophole that is used by agents, but the contract is there, now it’s just a matter of the team and player making it official.

Timmins currently has 6 goals and 35 points through 30 games with The Soo this season. He currently leads all OHL defenders in 5v5 points per game played and is the best player on the best team in Canadian Junior hockey.

Along with fellow 19-year olds Cale Makar, and Samuel Girard, Timmins signifies an incredibly bright future for the Avalanche blueline.