Colorado signed its 2018 NHL draft pick to a two-year entry-level contract. But he won't play with the Avalanche this season.

The name Kovalenko may ring a bell to Colorado Avalanche fans, and not just because of the recent signing of Nikolai. His father is Andrei, who was also drafted by the franchise when it was still the Quebec Nordiques. He played nearly four seasons with Nordiques/Avalanche from 1992-1996.

Nikolai Kovalenko was drafted by the Avalanche 171st overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. He has played in the Kontinental Hockey League since but the club announced it signed a two-year entry-level contract with the forward on Tuesday.

Kovalenko will remain in the KHL this season but will be eligible to play with the Avs in the 2024-25 season.

The 23-year-old earned a career-high 56 points with the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL this past season. He’s racked up 108 points in 215 career KHL games with Lokomotiv, Ak Bars and Torpedo.

The 5-foot-10 and 180-pound right wing was born in Raleigh, North Carolina when his dad played for the Carolina Hurricanes. But he was raised in Russia where he played junior hockey and represented the country in the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships.

If Kovalenko continues to develop the way he has in the KHL, he could be a significant asset to the Avalanche. However, he would need to adapt to the NHL, as it’s quite different from international play.