DENVER, Colo. – Recent 2020 graduate Peyton Jones (Langhorne, Pa.) agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche for the 2020-21 season on Thursday morning.
Jones, who previously signed a two-year AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles back in May, began the 2020-21 season with ECHL affiliate the Utah Grizzlies before signing this deal with the Avalanche. Jones will travel to Colorado and begin AHL training camp with the Eagles on Monday.
"It's great to see players with great work ethic get rewarded," mentioned head coach Guy Gadowsky. "This contract was very well earned."
The Langhorne, Pa. native appeared in eight games for the Grizzlies earlier this year posting a 4-2-0 record with a 3.10 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage.
Jones jumped right into the starting role between the pipes as a freshman for Penn State becoming the program's first-ever everyday goalie following four years where goalies saw split time in Hockey Valley. The Langhorne, Pennsylvania native seized the opportunity and never looked back graduating from Penn State with 14 program records.
Jones, Penn State's all-time wins leader, bookended his time as a Nittany Lion with victories in his first and last games at Pegula Ice Arena. He registered a 76-44-11 career record including a single-season record 23 wins during his freshman campaign where he was named the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player as the Nittany Lions captured their first-ever tournament title. His 42 career Big Ten victories are also a conference standard.
The senior is the Penn State career leader for games played and games started by a goalie with 133 in his career as well as leading in minutes (7866:20), saves (3,685) and points/assists by a goalie with eight. Along with his single-season program record for wins, Jones also holds single-season standards in games started (36), saves (983), points/assists (4) and shutouts (2).
During his final season in Hockey Valley in 2019-20, Jones registered career-highs with a .919 save percentage, ranking fourth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally, to go along with a 2.60 goals against average while posting a 18-9-3 record and leading the Nittany Lions to their first-ever Big Ten regular-season championship. Jones' .919 save percentage and 2.60 goals against average are both the second-best single-season marks in program history.
