The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by Mile High Hockey staff members. Seven writers have ranked players under the age of 25 in the Colorado Avalanche organization as of September 1, 2026. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.
Name: Gavin Brindley
Advertisement
Age: 21
Position: Right Wing
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 173 lbs
Likely 2026-27 Team: Colorado Avalanche?
2025 Rank: #4
Final Rank: #2
High Rank: #1 (Matthew/Ezra)
Low Rank: #7 (Brennan)
2025-26 Statistics:
Colorado Avalanche (NHL) – 56 GP: 6G/7A/13PTS, 8 PIM +2 (Regular Season)
Colorado Eagles (AHL) – 9 GP: 2G/4A/6PTS, 2 PIM – 1 (Regular Season)
Colorado Eagles (AHL) – 17 GP: 3G/5A/8PTS, 10 PIM – 1 (Postseason)
Gavin Brindley returns for his sophomore campaign as a member of the Colorado Avalanche this year.
The twenty-one year old Brindley, originally drafted 34th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, was acquired by the Avs along with Columbus’ 2025 third-round pick (used to draft defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce) and a conditional 2027 second-round pick (originally owned by the Minnesota Wild; Columbus traded their own 2025 second-round pick to Seattle to acquire Mason Marchment last season) in exchange for forwards Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood. He made his Avalanche debut on October 07, 2025, against the Los Angeles Kings. Four nights later, he scored his first career NHL goal in the Avs’ 5-4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.
Brindley’s ice time increased after the Dallas game: in the fifteen games that followed, he played at least 10:00 in ten of those games. In four of those games, he collected three (3) goals and three (3) assists for a total of six (6) points. Two of those goals were game-winners: the first coming in the Avs’ 5-4 overtime victory over Vancouver on November 09, and again in a 6-3 victory over Buffalo four nights later.
Brindley’s on-ice performance proved his merit to (former) Avs general manager Chris MacFarland. In the middle of his point streak, he signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.75 million dollars on November 11. The first year which begins the 2026-27 season is two-way with $200K guaranteed and the second year is one-way at $900k.
Advertisement
Brindley’s sustained a lower body injury on November 20 in a 6-3 victory against the New York Rangers. He missed ten (10) games, but seemingly picked up right where he left off. In his first game back from injury on December 11, he scored another goal and added an assist as the Avs cruised to a 6-2 defeat over the defending champion Florida Panthers. His 16:06 of ice time against Florida was the most he had at any point during the season with the Avs.
Unfortunately, Brindley’s offense grew cold after his return. Throughout the remainder of the season, he managed only one (1) goal and three (3) assists. That goal came in a comeback victory against Chicago in a game where the 21-year-old played just over three minutes. His ice time, clearly, began to decrease and, on March 22, he played his final game of the regular season in a 3-2 overtime victory over Washington, where he played less than 5:00. Four nights later, he was sent down to Loveland. In nine (9) games with the Eagles, he collected two (2) goals and four (4) assists for six (6) points.
Brindley was relatively quiet during the first two playoff series for the Eagles, but he made his presence known in the division finals series against Coachella Valley. He scored two of his three playoff goals in this series, and his goal in Game Four broke a 2-2 tie that served as the series-clinching goal. He set up Matt DiMarisco’s game-tying goal in Game Three of the Western Conference Final against Chicago (the Eagles would win 7-3, giving them a 3-2 series lead and a chance to clinch their first-ever Calder Cup Final appearance). Chicago went on to win Game Six and Game Seven, ending the Eagles’ playoff run.
Brindley finished with three (3) goals and five (5) assists for a total of eight (8) points in fifteen (15) AHL postseason games.
Advertisement
So, what should we expect from Brindley in his follow-up to his first season with the Avs? With Ross Colton, Jack Drury, and Joel Kiviranta no longer in the picture, and having played 56 games at the NHL level last season, Brindley should have had the inside track to secure a spot within the Avs’ bottom six but there many other new acquisitions vying for the same role. However, as illustrated earlier, he has shown to more effective with higher ice time and does have experience in the system, so would a consistent presence as a fourth-line compliment to Parker Kelly, for example, be the most practical use for him? Long-term, probably not.
The recipe for Brindley’s success is to give him a role with enough ice time (averaging around 10:00 per game or more, ideally) to make an impact. If he can find chemistry with more talented linemates, even better. Early returns were encouraging for him in the top six, but he struggled to regain his form after being out with injury. His experience last year will be beneficial in his bid to remain with the parent club, and with multiple roster spots open, this will be Brindley’s best opportunity to stand out as a long-term option for head coach Jared Bednar.
Brindley earned pretty high rankings among us: both Ezra and I had him at the top of our respective lists, while Brennan had him at 7. Whether Brindley plays a minor or (hopefully) a major role with the Avs will be a compelling story to follow.
It’s up to him to determine how much of a hand he’ll have in that story.
Advertisement
Let us know what you think of this prospect in the comments!
2026 Top 25 Under 25
#25 Nikita Novosyolov
#24 Axel Eloffson
#23 Teddy Lechner
#22 Ivan Yunin
#21 Luka Cloutier
#20 Matthew DiMarsico
#19 Shawn Carrier
#18 Domenick Fensore
#17 Tory Pitner
#16 Jake Fisher
#15 Beckett Hamilton
#14 Linus Funck
#13 Alex Gagne
#12 Egor Shilov
#11 Zach L’Heureux
#10 Fabian Lysell
#9 Sean Behrens
#8 Nikita Prishchepov
#7 Francesco Dell’Elce
#6 T.J. Hughes
#5 Christian Humphreys
#4 Fedor Svechkov
#3 Mikhail Gulyayev
Read the full article here