Colorado has signed defenseman Gustav Stjernberg to a two-year ELC beginning in the 2026-27 season. He will be joining the AHL Eagles on a tryout deal for the remainder of 2025-26.

Wearing an ‘A’ for Bowling Green State this season, Stjernberg put up 6 goals and 4 assists in 25 games, but fantasy owners will be more interested in his 98 PIM in that span. Not only was he consistently taking minor penalties, he was also assessed 4 game misconducts throughout the year for boarding, hitting from behind, illegal head contact, and unsportsmanlike conduct. Penalties have always followed the rough Swede but this marked a career-high in the category and this will be his pathway to fantasy relevance if he can hold his own in the AHL. He did hit the 0.5 points-per-game mark as a sophomore, and he was a plus-4 player this season on a middle-of-the-pack squad so there are certainly indicators that he can earn a pro role, but the Eagles have gone through a lot of serviceable bruising rearguards over the years who did not get NHL tryouts. Still, betting again the Avs’ blueline scouting is never smart, so we will be watching his transition to pro.