REPORT: Shane Bowers to sign Entry-Level Contract with Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have signed 2017 first-round pick Shane Bowers to an entry-level contract starting on July 1st, 2019. Bowers has decided to forgo his junior year at Boston University to turn pro with Colorado. He will be joining the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on an Amateur Try-Out for the rest of this season — consider it a temporary contract — before his entry-level deal officially kicks in.

Bowers was drafted 27th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2017 before being traded months later for Matt Duchene in the greatest trade of all time (tm). The 19-year-old 6’2” Canadian center was on a solid BU team that surprisingly underachieved for most of the season. The Terriers finished 5th in the conference with a 14-16-4 record in the regular season, but managed to advance past the first round. Bowers had one assist in four playoff games as the Terriers were knocked out in the Hockey East semifinals by Northeastern.

Bowers was the team’s first line center, often playing with Philadelphia Flyers first-rounder Joel Farabee and undrafted junior Patrick Curry. Despite the increased role, his production took a hit this season, dropping from 30 points in 36 regular season games, to 20 points in 33 regular season games (one point in four playoff games). Hockey Canada named Bowers to its 2019 World Juniors squad, where he played a fourth line role, put up two assists, and averaged 14:24 of ice-time in five games.

Although it was originally reported earlier in the week that Bowers was likely to return to BU in the fall, the departures of several Terrier teammates (Dante Fabbro, Joel Farabee, Jake Oettinger, Chad Krys, and Bobo Carpenter) likely influenced Bowers’ decision to turn pro. Although that would have given Bowers a huge opportunity to redeem himself from this past season and perhaps take on a leadership role, he’s decided to try to have his redemption season at the professional level instead.