The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed forward Martin Kaut to a three-year, entry-level contract. Kaut was selected by the Avalanche with the 16th overall pick at the NHL Draft in Dallas on June 22.

Kaut, 18, spent the 2017-18 campaign with HC Dynamo Pardubice in the Czech Republic's top professional league and recorded 16 points (9g, 7a) in 38 games. The Brno, Czech Republic, native split the 2016-17 campaign with Pardubice and HC Dynamo's junior team, registering one point (0g, 1a) in 26 outings with Dynamo and 16 points (4g, 12a) in 22 contests with the under-20 squad.

"Martin plays a complete, two-way game," said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Joe Sakic following Kaut's selection at the draft. "He competes, he's strong on the puck. He's got a great shot, and he's a pure goal scorer. We just like the upside and what he can bring to our club."

Kaut has represented his country in numerous international events, including the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y., where he ranked fourth on the team with seven points (2g, 5a) in seven games en route to a fourth-place finish at the tournament. His five assists were tied for third on the team and second among the Czech forwards. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound right wing helped his country win gold for the first time at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2016, tallying four points (1g, 3a) in five games.

At 16th overall, Kaut was the second-highest selection of a Czech-born player in franchise history (Vaclav Nedorost, 14th overall, 2000).