The Colorado Avalanche re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Joel Kiviranta to a one-year contract worth $1.25 million. Kiviranta put up 16 goals and seven assists in 56 games with the Avalanche last season. He went scoreless in seven postseason games as Colorado was knocked out in the first round by his former team, the Dallas Stars.
Speaking of the Stars, they signed forward Nathan Bastian to a one-year deal worth $775K. They 27-year-old appeared in 56 games with New Jersey Devils in 2024-25 and finished the season with four goals and six assists.
The United States beat Czechia 4-3 in a pre-tournament game as both squads ready for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The tournament gets underway Monday and will run until August 16. The eight-team tourney will feature two groups of four teams. Group A will play its preliminary-round games in Brno, Czechia, at Winning Group Arena, while Group B will play its games at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium in Trenčín, Slovakia. The U.S. will compete in Group B against Germany, Sweden and Slovakia. Group A consists of Czechia, Canada, Finland and Switzerland.