Tyson Jost, a former scoring sensation with the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets, today signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche.
Jost, 19, was Colorado’s first-round selection (10th overall) in the 2016 National Hockey League draft and recently completed his freshman season at the University of North Dakota. He scored 16 goals and assisted on 19 others in 33 games with the ND Fighting Hawks.
His season ended Friday, when North Dakota fell 4-3 to Boston University in overtime in the first round of the NCAA West Regional.
"We are excited to announce that Tyson has signed his entry-level contract and will be joining us for the rest of this season," said Avalanche executive vice president/general manager Joe Sakic. "Tyson is an all-around player. He competes, plays the game hard and is reliable at both ends of the ice. He just finished a strong year at North Dakota and we're looking forward to seeing him in an Avalanche sweater."
He’s expected to join the NHL team on Thursday and possibly play as soon as Friday against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
A native of St. Albert, Alta., Jost moved to Kelowna to live with his grandparents and attend the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna when he was 13 years old. After being drafted by the Everett Silvertips seventh overall in the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft, he decided to stay in Kelowna to play with the Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League for one season.
He led the Rockets to a 2014 national midget AAA bronze medal at the Telus Cup in Moose Jaw after finishing first in BCMMHL scoring with 44 goals and 44 assists in just 36 games.
Instead of going to Everett, Jost joined the B.C. Hockey League’s Penticton Vees for two seasons, being named the 2015-16 British Columbia Hockey League’s most valuable player after racking up 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) in 48 games for the Penticton Vees. His 62 assists led the BCHL, while his 104 points ranked third. Jost's 2.17 points-per-game average was the highest in the league.
That same year he was selected as the RBC junior natioinal player of the year award winner. It’s a distinction shared by other household notables as former National Hockey League star Paul Kariya, also a Penticton junior hockey graduate, and current NHLers Joe Colborne and Kyle Turris.
Jost captained Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF under-18 World Championship in Grand Forks, N.D., where he led the entire tournament in scoring with 15 points (6g/9a) in seven games. His 15 points established a Canadian record at that event, surpassing the previous mark set by Connor McDavid (14) in 2013. Jost was selected as the tournament's best forward and was named to the All-Star Team.
He helped Team Canada to a silver medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal/Toronto this past January. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound center tallied four points (1g/3a) in seven games during the tournament.
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