Jersey numbers have always been one of my favorite things to research, especially when players change teams and have to find a new number with their new club.
I enjoy keeping track of players coming in and departing the Colorado Avalanche to see what they’ll wear when the new season begins.
That brings us to Joel Kiviranta, the first of the former Avalanche to get his new number settled for the 2026-27 season.
Kiviranta returned to the Dallas Stars this summer after spending the past three seasons in Colorado. He wore No. 94 with the Avalanche after previously wearing No. 25 during his first stint with the Stars.
Neither number will follow him back to Dallas.
Kiviranta will wear No. 22 with the Stars, the first time he’s worn the number in his NHL career. No. 94 is currently available in Dallas, while No. 25 belongs to Arttu Hyry.
Aside from him, there are still several numbers worth keeping an eye on.
Rookie forward T.J. Hughes will wear No. 13 with the Avalanche, which became available after Valeri Nichushkin was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jaden Schwartz also appears to have his number figured out. He was recently spotted at Family Sports wearing an Avalanche helmet with No. 9 on it, likely confirming that he’ll return to the number he wore when he began his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues.
The Avalanche haven’t yet announced numbers for Fedor Svechkov, Zachary L’Heureux or Noah Juulsen.
Svechkov wore No. 40 in Nashville, L’Heureux wore No. 68, and Juulsen wore No. 47 in Philadelphia. All three numbers are available in Colorado.
Fabian Lysell is another player to keep an eye on. Lysell didn’t play an NHL game for the Boston Bruins in 2025-26, but if he earns an opportunity with the Avalanche this season, he’ll need a new number. He wore No. 23 in Boston, but that number is retired at Ball Arena in honor of Milan Hejduk.
Meanwhile, Each of the Avalanche’s other three departed forwards could be wearing a different number next season.
Nichushkin likely won’t wear No. 13 in Columbus. Nobody has worn it since the late Johnny Gaudreau had the number for two seasons.
Ross Colton and Jack Drury also face some uncertainty after being traded to Nashville. Their No. 20 and No. 18, respectively, are currently unavailable with the Predators, although it’s still possible they could get those numbers from the players currently wearing them.
I’ll keep you posted as more numbers get revealed throughout the summer. After all, we’re right around a month away from training camp.
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