Robbinsville native Colton signs with Lightning
It has been an amazing climb for Robbinsville native Ross Colton through the hockey ranks.
The former Princeton Day star signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
Colton was a 2016 fourth-round pick of the Lightning but opted to attend the University of Vermont.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for me and my family,” Colton said in a UVM press release. “I loved my two years at UVM, playing at Gutterson in that environment will always be special to me. Leaving my teammates is tough, they are lifelong friends and it won’t be easy departing.
“However, I really believe this is the right time for me to start my quest to play in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning. UVM has prepared me to go after this and I’m ready for the challenge.”
Colton earned Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star status following his sophomore season after posting career-highs in goals (16), power play goals (8) and shots on goal (140). He was halfway to 100 collegiate points in just 69 games after posting his 49th and 50th career points against UMass in the 2018 Hockey East First Round.
“I want to thank my teammates, the support staff, and the coaches,” Colton added. “I would also like to thank Coach Sneddon for supporting me, developing me on and off the ice, and caring about me as a person, not just as a player. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank my family. They have always been there for me and supported me throughout my career.”
Colton begins camp this week with the Lightning.
“It is never an easy thing when you lose a player of Ross’ ability, especially late in the recruiting season,” said Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon in the release “However, we could not be more excited for Ross and his family on signing his first, of many, NHL contracts. I know Ross struggled with this decision earlier, but after speaking with him last weekend, I could sense he is confident with this decision.
“On behalf of our staff and players, I want to congratulate Ross on this amazing accomplishment. I look forward to watching him play in the NHL for many years.”
A 2017 Hockey East All-Rookie Team selection, Colton closed the 2017-18 season tied for fifth in Hockey East in total goals, eclipsing his team-high rookie total of 12. The sophomore was also tied for 11th nationally in power play goals, scoring eight of the team’s 26 tallies with the man advantage. Five of those power play tallies came in the third period to lead the conference.
He ranked fourth in Hockey East and top15 in the country in shots on goal per game (3.9) and registered a career-high 13 against Colorado College in October. Colton also won a team-best 52 percent of his faceoffs during the 2017-18 campaign.
A two-way contract pays a player differently depending on whether Colton is in the NHL or playing in the American Hockey League with the Lightning’s Syracuse Crunch team.