Discover Matthew DiMarsico's impressive NCAA scoring prowess and how his skills could translate to the Colorado Eagles' AHL playoff push.
There is no better relationship between the Colorado Avalanche and signing free-agent college athletes, including drafting them. Cale Makar, Logan O'Connor, and Sam Malinski are all but a few names the Avalanche have taken either from the draft or signed as free agents after their tenure in the NCAA. Players who extended their careers with how they developed into a suitable role with the Avalanche, more so in the case of Malinski and O’Connor.
We can now add another free agent to the list, Matthew DiMarsico, from Penn State University, who just signed a two-year, entry-level contract that will begin in the 2026-27 season. As of right now, he will join the Colorado Eagles in the AHL as they push for a deep playoff run. Here is a bit more about who DiMarsico is, how he performed during his time in Penn State and the NCAA, and what he could bring to the Avalanche in the future.
Time With Penn State
He spent three seasons with Penn State; in 111 games, he has scored 42 goals and 58 assists for 100 points. Coming in at 6 feet and 181 pounds, he shoots left, and at the age of 22, he's another project for the Avalanche that they don’t need to spend a lot of time waiting for him to develop his game; they can see how it can translate in the AHL and work from there.
Outside of his rookie season in 2023-24, when he finished with only seven goals, he has scored more than 15 goals in both seasons. In the 2024-25 season, he finished with 17 goals, which was second on the team behind Aiden Fink (Predators), who led with 23. This season, he led the team in scoring, outscoring notable prospects like Luke Misa (Flames), last season's leader, Fink, and what could be the first overall pick in this upcoming draft, Gavin McKenna.
His time at Penn State won’t be forgotten, especially with how well he has played and the growth he has shown through his time.
“Personally, I love Matt’s story; he was not given anything other than an opportunity and started at the very bottom. He worked extremely hard on his individual game and paid close attention to team play and the result was great improvement year-after-year,” mentioned head coach Guy Gadowsky. “We are all extremely proud of DD for everything he has accomplished and the memories he has given this program and wish him the very best in his pro career.”
Where He Can Fit With The Eagles
It will be interesting to see how the Eagles deploy him and see if his success in the NCAA can translate to the AHL. He was second in shots on goal (130) behind McKenna, with 152, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive he is with the puck. This includes any time he gets on the power play, as he was tied for first with seven power-play goals, so it will be interesting to see if he gets any time on the first or second unit and how he is deployed.
He played on the second line, left wing, with Penn State, so when he draws into the lineup with the Eagles, it will be interesting to see how they want to deploy him. Last game with the Eagles, the left-wing position from the first line to the fourth line went like this. Alex Barre-Boulet, Tristen Neilsen, Danil Gushchin, Tye Felhaber. All four of those wingers are top 10 in scoring for the Eagles, so it might be hard to move any of them out of the lineup.
There is the option of moving him to the right wing, as the last game lineups were Gavin Brindley, Valterri Puustinen, Taylor Makar, and Maros Jedlicka. Jedlicka could be an argument for coming out of the lineup, as he only has three goals and six assists for nine points. Still, I don’t know how impactful DiMarsico can be in that role compared to Jedlicka, or whether he's comfortable playing on the right side.
He's a player who won’t give up on plays, and with that shooting touch, there are more than enough playmakers on that Eagles team to help set him up. Here is what EliteProspects has to say about DiMarsico from their scouting side of things.
DiMarsico just plays the game the right way. He isn’t overwhelmingly skilled, but his ability to force the opposition into turnovers and support the puck once it’s back in his team’s possession makes for constant offensive zone time. - EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide
DiMarsico will be another interesting development piece for the Avalanche in the years to come. He has shown goal-scoring prowess, but it's now up to him to see if he can further develop those skills or develop new ones that fit what the Avalanche might need in the future.
