Colorado Avalanche Credit Logan O’Connor for Late-Season Spark
Getting Colorado Avalanche winger Logan O'Connor back on the ice was a long road.
O'Connor missed the first 69 matchups of the 2025-26 season after undergoing offseason hip surgery. He returned to action for the Avalanche on March 24, and immediately made an instant impact.
Per a recent story from NHL.com, from his return until the conclusion of the regular season — O’Connor ranked fifth among Colorado forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (1:23), also playing a key role for the NHL’s best penalty kill (94.4%) during that time frame.
The Avs would additionally allow few goals per game once O’Connor returned to the lineup, with the Avalanche posting a co-NHL-fewest 2.15 goals against per game in the 13 games of the regular-season O’Connor did play in.
In the 2025-26 playoffs, O'Connor also saw 13 games of action and recorded two points across one goal and one assist.
This even included the game-winning goal in the Avalanche's 2-1 win in Game One of Round One over the Los Angeles Kings.
Logan O’Connor Cited High Motivation to Return to Colorado Avalanche Lineup
O'Connor would also say that taking to the ice in the postseason is what motivated him throughout his recovery from his previously mentioned surgery.
“Being there (the playoffs) when [it] matters most is something that pushed me along the way,” O’Connor said per the NHL.com story. “Being part of the fight with the guys, this is what it’s all about. This is what you play all year for. This is what I rehabbed all year for: to come back at the right time. And it has definitely paid dividends now that I’ve gotten in games and gotten to compete with the guys and the intensity of the playoffs, and it’s just so much fun being out there.”
O'Connor was originally signed as a free agent by Colorado in July of 2018 after originally going undrafted, and signed six-year contract with the Avs in Sept. of 2024.
Prior to his professional career, O'Connor — a Texas native — won a NCAA National Championship as a sophomore in 2016-17 with the University of Denver.
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar also previously said that O'Connor's effort is always apparent on the ice.
“I think you see his game really start to round into form in the playoffs,” Bednar previously said of O'Connor. “Because he’s never gonna cheat you on effort, competitiveness [and] all those things. It’s just getting your body in tuned in and up to speed to where the game is at this time of year, and he’s done a really nice job of it.”
O'Connor will undoubtedly look to build off the late-season spark he brought to Colorado's game in 2026-27. The winger will enter the upcoming League season with 105 career points (45 goals, 60 assists).
Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered hockey since 2023 and is credentialed for the Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils and PWHL in addition to having covered the 2026 Frozen Four.