photo courtesy Rena Laverty, Plymouth Whalers

The Avalanche today confirmed the story broken on Twitter that Mitchell Heard has signed an ELC with the club. Terms weren't disclosed, but you can guess they are probably somewhat similar to the deal Ryan O'Reilly signed after being drafted. Heard pulled from the "grateful and humble" hockey script, tweeting "Happiest day of my life, thanks to my family and friends for all the support along the way".

As a 20-year-old, Heard is a little different from most players drafted from junior as he is eligible to play in the AHL this year. While he technically can go back to his junior team (Plymouth), it is more likely that he will be in Lake Erie this fall.