The Colorado Avalanche recalled the young forward just ahead of the Game 4 matinee start.

Forward Nikolai Kovalenko will make his NHL debut on Sunday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets. He was on the ice wearing No. 51 for pregame warmups ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Kovalenko played in the Kontinental Hockey League with the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, who were eliminated in the postseason in early March. The 24-year-old was injured in the last game and has been with the Colorado Eagles since. After he recovered from his injury, he played six games with the AHL team.

The young Russian was drafted 171st overall in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Avalanche and signed a two-year agreement with the club on July 25, 2023. He has been playing in the KHL for Torpedo as an alternate captain the past two seasons, where he scored 32 goals and 89 points through 98 regular-season games and three goals and 11 points in 15 postseason games.

Kovalenko is the third player in Avalanche history to make their NHL debut in the playoffs. He is the son of former Quebec Nordiques/Avalanche forward Andre Kovalenko, who played with the organization from 1992 to 1996.

The Raleigh, North Carolina-born winger will slide into the lineup in place of Joel Kiviranta. 

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