The Colorado Avalanche announced Tuesday that the team has signed forwards Gabriel Bourque and Felix Girard and defenseman Duncan Siemens to one-year contracts for the 2017-18 campaign.
Bourque, 26, joined the Avalanche on a professional tryout contract last season before signing a one-year deal on Oct. 10. He played in six contests for Colorado (0g/0a) and 61 for the San Antonio Rampage, where he tallied 10 goals and an AHL career-high 23 assists.
Selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round (132nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Bourque has totaled 78 points (31g/47a) in 248 NHL contests, 242 of which were played with the Predators. The 5-foot-10, 206-pound left wing has accumulated 97 points (37g/60a) in 183 career AHL games with the Milwaukee Admirals and the Rampage.
A native of Rimouski, Quebec, Bourque played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and the Moncton Wildcats, putting up 141 points (48g/93a) in 180 outings. He captained Baie-Comeau from 2008-10 before being traded to Moncton, where he helped the Wildcats to the 2010 QMJHL championship. Bourque finished with 29 points in 21 postseason contests, including a league-leading 19 goals, earning the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the QMJHL playoff MVP. Internationally, he was part of Canada’s silver medal-winning team at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, tallying nine points (3g/6a) in six games.
Girard, 23, was acquired by the Avalanche on Jan. 13, 2017 and put up 20 points (7g/13a) in 38 games with the Rampage after recording eight points (3g/5a) in 35 outings with the Milwaukee Admirals. His 10 goals, 18 assists and 28 points in 2016-17 were all AHL career highs. A fourth-round pick (95th overall) of the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft, Girard has played in 210 career AHL contests with Milwaukee and San Antonio, tallying 19 goals and 39 assists.
The Levis, Quebec, native played four seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2010-14, totaling 142 points (45g/97a) in 240 games. He served as captain for two seasons from 2012-14 and earned the Guy Carbonneau Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in each of those campaigns.
The 5-foot-10, 197-pound center represented Canada at the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, notching a point (1g) in five games.
Siemens, 23, spent most of the 2016-17 season with the San Antonio Rampage, tallying seven points (2g/5a). He finished second on the team with 73 games played and skated in three games with the Avalanche. Colorado’s second pick (first round, 11th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Siemens has played in four contests with Colorado, making his NHL debut in the club’s 2014-15 season finale against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 11, 2015. The Edmonton, Alberta, native has played in 229 career AHL games with the Rampage and the then-Lake Erie Monsters, totaling 24 points (4g/20a).
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound blueliner played four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades from 2009-13, accumulating 124 points (17g/107a) in 258 games and earning WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team honors in 2010-11.
Internationally, Siemens represented Canada at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, recording three points (1g/2a) in five outings.
