The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today the team has signed forward Joel Kiviranta to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season.
Kiviranta, 29, suited up in 79 regular-season games and seven Stanley Cup Playoff contests for the Avalanche in 2024-25, his second season with the club. In the regular season, the winger set career-highs in goals (16), points (23) and notched his first two career game-winning goals. Kiviranta also registered his first three career multi-goal performances, two of which took place in the month of December. Among them was Kiviranta’s first career regular-season hat trick on Dec. 22 vs. Seattle.
A native of Vantaa, Finland, Kiviranta played in his 100th contest with the Avalanche on Jan. 11, 2025. In 135 games with Colorado, he has collected 32 points (19g/13a) as well as his two career-high showings of three points. Kiviranta also posted a career-high four-game goal streak from March 6-11, which began with his second career shorthanded marker on March 6. This is the 29-year-old’s third NHL contract with the Avalanche.
“Joel is a hard-working, responsible player who has demonstrated he can be a key contributor at five-on-five,” said Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland. “He has been a valuable member of our lineup, and we are excited to have him back for another season.”
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has appeared in 298 career regular-season games and has registered 60 points (35g/25a) with the Avalanche and Dallas Stars from 2019-25. He’s played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last four seasons as well as five of his six as a professional in North America, tallying 14 points (7g/7a) in 51 postseason contests. Kiviranta made a Stanley Cup Final appearance with the Stars in 2020 and helped them earn a Western Conference Final berth in 2023. In his first campaign in North America, Kiviranta was added to Dallas’ 2020 postseason roster and chipped in a career-high six points (5g/1a) over 14 games, including a hat trick in Game 7 of the Second Round against Colorado.
Kiviranta signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent on May 31, 2019 after playing parts of six seasons for the SM-Liiga’s Jokerit (2013-14) and Vaasan Sport (2014-19) programs. He tallied 114 points (60g/54a) in 261 games in his Liiga career. On the international stage, Kiviranta captured a gold medal representing Finland at the 2019 World Championship and a bronze medal at the 2013 U-18 World Championship where he was teammates with Artturi Lehkonen.