Sam Malinski

October 2024 – When he turned pro, Malinski earned an AHL spot right away by outplaying more veteran puck-moving d-men and taking their job. In his first NHL training camp, he once again outplayed more veteran options and took their job, and is now a 3rd-pairing NHL defenceman. He came into camp visibly fitter and stronger, and was arguably the most effective defenceman in exhibition play, netting 2 goals in 4 contests alongside 12 SOG and 12 blocks. Like most of the team, performance has dropped off in regular season, where so far he is pointless through 2 matchups. His 2 SOG, 1 hit, and 2 blocks make him an ok streaming option for desperate multi-cat situations, but with 15 minutes per night and no powerplay time in his foreseeable future, modest offense and some decent peripherals is the expectation for Malinski for 2024-25. Hayden Soboleski

December 2023 – Less than a year after signing his first pro deal, Malinski has now played 12 games for the banged-up Avs and his seizing the opportunity. He has picked up his first NHL goal to go along with four assist so far, while putting up roughly 1 SOG and 1 block per game which makes him a serviceable fill-in multi-cat player to match his fill-in real player status. His 14:11 aTOI likely isn’t high enough for these production rates to increase, but given how quickly he has acclimated to the organization it is not unreasonable to think he could have the 7th-8th defenceman role secured for now, and be in the battle for a top-six spot for 2024-25. Hayden Soboleski

November 2023 – Malinski has been called up to the Avs following multiple injuries on the back end and is set to see his first NHL action. The mobile blueliner finished the 2022-23 campaign strong with five points in seven contests, followed by five more in seven playoff showings. He won the AHL coaching staff’s trust quickly and hasn’t let up, starting 2023-24 with six points and 26 SOG in 13 games played so far. A chunk of that production is coming as a result of manning the powerplay, which is not in his NHL future in Colorado, but the shot volume is a promising sign to watch if he gest multiple games in during his call-up. Hayden Soboleski

March 2023 – Colorado has signed undrafted college free agent Sam Malinski to a two-year ELC starting in the 2023-24 season. He will join the AHL Eagles on a PTO for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign. Hayden Soboleski

Malinski is a two-time ECAC all-star and captained Cornell University for the the 2022-23 season. The right-shot defender’s 26 points in 34 contests led the squad’s blueline, as did his 29 PIM. In addition to his strong offensive production, Malinski is also credited with 81 SOG and 38 blocked shots in his final college campaign. His scoring stats are aided by heavy usage on the powerplay, which he may get the chance to try and replicate in the AHL next year. His confident puck-handling and skating skills give him a toolbox to be crafty in the opposing end. The Eagles have a large number of players at all positions on expiring deals, so there will be spots on all lines and special teams available for Malinski’s first season of pro. Expect at least 2 years in the AHL to see how he is deployed before any potential fantasy-relevance gets realized, but remember that he is already 24 years old so there is less runway here than for other prospects in the system.