Freddie Hamilton: Colorado Avalanche Player Profile

Forward Freddie Hamilton was a trade deadline deal the Colorado Avalanche made, sending defenseman Karl Stollery to the San Jose Sharks in exchange. Hamilton first reported to Colorado’s AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, but injuries brought him up to the Avalanche. Hamilton played 17 games with the Colorado Avalanche, even recording his first-ever NHL goal.

Freddie Hamilton, the Early Years

Forward Freddie Hamilton is a young man, just 23 years old. He was born on New Year’s Day in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Like most Canadian boys, Hamilton started playing hockey early, at age five. He told the Avalanche website that he fell in love with the game right away.

Hamilton’s fondest hockey memory came just a few years later. When he was 10, he got to skate with the Toronto Maple Leafs — including his idol, Mats Sundin. He even got to participate in a skills competition. Indeed, Sundin is the reason Hamilton wears the number 13 for the Avalanche.

For his part, Hamilton played for the Toronto Marlboros Bantam and Midget teams from 2006 to 2008.

In 2008, Hamilton was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League Niagara IceDogs, going 14th overall. The first year he scored 25 goals for the IceDogs. He played for the IceDogs for two more years. Total, in four years he played 258 games, earning 108 goals and 144 assists for 252 points.

Internationally, Hamilton participated in the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in 2009, earning two goals in six games. He participated in the World Juniors’ Under-18 in 2010, getting a goal and five assists in six games. In 2012, he played in the World Juniors’ Under-20, getting a goal and six assists in six games.

Family Ties

Freddie Hamilton is known for being the older brother of Boston Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Dougie tends to be the better-known of the two, having gone ninth-overall in the 2011 and making the team almost right away.

What might not be as well known is that the Hamilton brothers are the progeny of two Olympians. Father Doug Hamilton participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics for rowing, and mother Lynn Hamilton participated in the same Olympics for basketball.

Freddie is proud of his parents, even though neither he nor his brother went into their sports. (Freddie, at 6-foot, probably didn’t have a chance in basketball.) However, Freddie is closest with Dougie:

"“We’re really close, best friends. I never really got to play on his team growing up, but we were always playing together. In junior, we played together for a couple years so that was fun too.”"

The Hamilton brothers were IceDogs together from 2009 to 2012.

San Jose Sharks

Colorado Avalanche

Freddie Hamilton barely got to get his feet wet with the Lake Erie Monsters before being called up by the Avalanche to fill in for one of the numerous injuries the team suffered over the season. Indeed, he remarked in different interviews at the time that he didn’t know players from either team yet and “They don’t know much about me yet.”

In his two months with the Avalanche, though, he bested all his NHL totals. He skated in 17 games — five more than in three years with the Sharks. He also scored his first-ever NHL goal against the Arizona Coyotes on March 19:

Just so happened that was the game winner. Hamilton said of his first tally:

"“I’ve dreamed about it many different ways and maybe that was one of them. I know a lot of first goals are tips or rebounds. I was just trying to go to the net and glad it went in.”"

He remarked that he’d probably give the puck to his parents to put with Dougie’s first goal puck.

Hamilton is a restricted free agent after this season. The Avalanche have not announced if they will re-sign him to a contract. He’s a pretty good role player — he could be an asset to the team. Either way, good luck to Freddie Hamilton.

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