GM of KHL team says defenseman Andrei Mironov "going to Colorado"

Andrei Mironov, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound defenseman who played 18 games for Dynamo Moskva (Moscow) of the Kontinental Hockey League, appears headed to the Avalanche this coming season.

Although he has one year remaining on his KHL pro contract, the general manager of Moskva, Andrei Safronov, said Mironov will be allowed to forego that final year and play for Colorado in the NHL.

Avalanche spokesman Jean Martineau, however, told BSNDenver that no deal is yet in place for Mironov.

Mironov, 22, was selected by the Avs 101st overall in the 2015 NHL draft, but has played professionally since for Dynamo Moskva. In 18 games last season, he had one goal and two assists, and a plus-2. He averaged about 21 minutes of ice time per game.

He is considered a strong, hard-hitting defenseman who tries to pattern his game after one of his idols, the former Av Darius Kasparaitis. He would stand a strong chance of making the club out of training camp, as he has several years of pro experience already.

Here is a picture of the young lad off the ice: