Colorado Inks Goaltender, Forwards to One-Year Deals
Jul 2, 2018
DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed goaltender Joe Cannata and forward Scott Kosmachuk to one-year contracts for the 2018-19 campaign. Additionally, the club has signed forward Sheldon Dries to a one-year entry-level contract.
Cannata, 28, spent most of the 2017-18 season with the Colorado Eagles, where he posted a 21-5-2 record, a 2.22 goals-against average and a league-best .931 save percentage. The Wakefield, Massachussets, native recorded a 2.55 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 24 postseason contests to help the Eagles win their second-straight Kelly Cup as ECHL champions.
Cannata also played in five games in 2017-18 for the San Antonio Rampage, where he went 3-0-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round (173rd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Cannata has a 57-41-11 record in 121 career American Hockey League games with the Chicago Wolves, Utica Comets, Hershey Bears and San Antonio. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound netminder owns a career 2.73 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in the AHL.
He played four seasons at Merrimack College from 2008-12, and represented the United States at the 2008 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, helping Team USA to a bronze medal at the tournament.
Kosmachuk, 24, played the 2017-18 campaign with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, ranking second on the team with 42 points (15g, 27a) in 70 games. The Richmond Hill, Ontario, native has collected 134 points (59g, 75a) in 265 career AHL contests with the Wolf Pack, Manitoba Moose and St. John’s IceCaps.
A third-round selection (70th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets at the 2012 NHL Draft, Kosmachuk made his NHL debut on March 8, 2016 vs. Nashville and has played in eight total NHL contests, registering three points (0g, 3a).
Kosmachuk spent four seasons with the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League from 2010-14, accumulating 246 points (120g, 126a) in 271 career games. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound right wing added 35 points (14g, 21a) in 37 career postseason contests and helped the Storm to the 2013-14 OHL championship. He earned OHL Second All-Star Team honors that season.
Dries, 24, completed his first professional season in 2017-18, notching 30 points (19g, 11a) in 70 regular-season games for the AHL’s Texas Stars. The Macomb Township, Wisconsin, native added 10 points (10g, 0a) in 22 playoff contests for the Western Conference Champions and led all rookies in postseason goals.
Prior to signing with Texas as an undrafted free agent, Dries played four seasons at Western Michigan University, collecting 84 points (44g, 40a) in 148 career outings and serving as the team’s captain for three seasons. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound center earned National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Second All-Star Team honors for his final campaign in 2016-17.
Dries played two full seasons for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League from 2011-13, recording 87 points (41g, 46a) in 116 games and adding nine points (2g, 7a) in 16 USHL postseason appearances.
