Anton Lindholm signs with Avs, signals start of Rampage rebuild Update: Boikov signs

In an off-season that’s so far been marked by high-profile departures from the Colorado Avalanche organization to various European leagues, the signing of Swedish defenseman Anton Lindholm to his entry-level contract (ELC) today kicks off the remaking of last year’s eclectic San Antonio Rampage squad.

Beginning with the firing of head coach Dean Chynoweth, the Rampage also saw the defections of Joey Hishon, Dennis Everberg, Borna Rendulic, Maxim Noreau, and Roman Will leaving for Europe, there was plenty of questions surrounding exactly what the Avalanche had in mind for re-stocking their AHL club.

Even though forwards Julien Nantel and J.T. Compher have also signed ELCs, they were either expected (Nantel’s was a year in the making) or more geared towards the NHL team (Compher will push immediately for the Avalanche opening night roster). Lindholm’s signing is the first real step in answering “what’s next for San Antonio?”, a question that has been hanging like a dark cloud over the Avalanche since the season ended.

Before delving into what might be next, let’s take a look at what Lindholm’s signing means for the Rampage blue line. The slightly undersized Lindholm will be competing with returnees Mason Geertsen, Cody Corbett, and Mat Clark. In their current iteration, it wouldn’t be out of line to expect Lindholm to see decent minutes right away as the 21-year old has been a defensive stalwart for the SHL’s Skelleftea for the past couple of years and was a linchpin in their run to the brink of a championship in 2014-15.

Lindholm provides additional insurance if the Avalanche decide to move on from mercurial players such as Brandon Gormley, Duncan Siemens, and Zach Redmond. It is also believed 2015 draftee Sergei Boikov will sign his own ELC and join Lindholm as newcomers to the Rampage next season, although Boikov as least saw some AHL action at the end of last season on a tryout contract.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions but things are expected to get moving very soon with the June 1 deadline for unsigned prospects rapidly approaching. It is believed Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk will, and may already have, interview for the same job in San Antonio. If you missed it, we did a preview a few weeks ago on names to watch for in San Antonio. ELC questions surrounding forward Alexis Pepin and several junior players the Avalanche have been chasing, including Stephen Harper, are expected to be answered soon as the Avalanche begin to shape their off-season.

Update: As we reported earlier this week, the Avalanche’s 2015 6th round pick Sergei Boikov has signed his ELC with the Colorado Avalanche.  The 20 year old defenseman had a breakout season in his third year with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and represented Russia at the 2015 Canada-Russia Super Series. The 6’2″ smooth skating defenseman played well in his short professional debut with the Rampage at the end of last season.