The Colorado Avalanche are beefing up their defensive pipeline, signing a promising young blueliner to a two-year deal and immediately adding him to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have added size and promise to their defensive pipeline, signing 23-year-old blueliner Gustav Stjernberg to a two-year contract beginning with the 2026-27 season. Stjernberg will join the Colorado Eagles on an AHL deal for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign as he transitions from an accomplished collegiate career to the professional ranks.
Stjernberg, a 6-foot-4, 209-pound defenseman from Enebyberg, Sweden, brings a combination of offensive upside and defensive reliability. This season, he posted six goals and four assists in 25 games for Bowling Green State University, where he also served as an alternate captain. His six goals led the Falcons’ defensive corps, and he ranked first on the team with 34 blocked shots, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice for the team in his own zone.
Over three seasons at Bowling Green, Stjernberg totaled 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 86 career games. He set personal bests last season with 12 assists, 16 points, and a +7 rating while again pacing the team in blocked shots. As a freshman, he appeared in a career-high 31 games and led all Bowling Green defensemen with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists).
Before his NCAA tenure, Stjernberg spent a season in the USHL with the Des Moines Buccaneers (2022-23), producing 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) in 62 games and ranking first among Des Moines defensemen in goals. He also appeared in two postseason contests for the Buccaneers.
Stjernberg’s development in Sweden included three seasons with Orebro HK’s U-20 program, where he recorded 12 goals and 22 assists across 66 games, and added five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in six playoff appearances during the 2021-22 season. He also spent time with Orebro’s U-18 affiliate, tallying 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 74 games, and made one appearance with the club’s SHL team in 2021-22.
