"Patrick has excellent mobility for a player his size and possesses a big shot from the point," said Benning. "He'll add to our depth on the blue line and we're excited to give him the opportunity to play for his hometown team."
Wiercioch, 26, appeared in 57 games for Colorado in 2016.17, registering 12 points (4-8-12) and 23 penalty minutes. His four goals ranked third among Avalanche defencemen while his 12 points ranked fifth. Prior to joining Colorado in 2016, the 6-5, 202-pound defenceman spent five seasons with the Ottawa Senators. In 268 career NHL games over parts of six seasons, Wiercioch has registered 74 points (16-58-74). He also has four points (2-2-4) in seven career playoff contests.
Prior to his professional career, Wiercioch played two seasons at the University of Denver (2008-10) where he was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and WCHA Second All-Star Team as a freshman in 2008-09, and selected to the WCHA First All-Star Team and NCAA West First All-American Team as a sophomore in 2009-10.
The Burnaby, British Columbia, native was selected in the second round, 42nd overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
