Ross Colton

BIOGRAPHY

Ross Colton was born September 11, 1996, in Robbinsville, New Jersey. He is a center in the National Hockey League.

Upon concluding his collegiate career, Colton attended the Lightning's 2018 training camp before being assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch for the 2018–19 season.  He recorded his first professional career goal during a 6–3 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on October 27, 2018. As the season continued, Colton maintained a scoring streak of seven points within five games including his first career multi-goal game. He finished his rookie season ranked third on the team for goals with 14 and was fourth overall with 31 points.

Following his rookie season, Colton was invited to participate in the Lightning's training camp but was again returned to the Crunch for the 2019–20 season. Once the league returned to play in January, Colton was re-called to the NHL level after playing in three AHL games. On February 24, 2021, Colton skated in his first career NHL game in a 3–0 Lightning win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes at Amalie Arena. During the game, he recorded his first career NHL goal and point, becoming the ninth player in Lightning history to score a goal in their NHL debut. Colton also joined Nikita Kucherov as the only players in team history to record a game-winning goal in their first game. He remained with the team as they pushed to qualify for the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, while also recording nine goals and 12 points in 30 regular-season games.

As the Lightning qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs, Colton made his postseason debut playing on their third and fourth line. He recorded his first post-season goal during Game 3 in an overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. Following this, he became a replacement for Barclay Goodrow on the Lightning's third line and scored the teams' sole goal in a 4–1 loss during Game 5. The Lightning eventually eliminated the Panthers from playoff contention and advanced to the Stanley Cup Second Round against the Hurricanes. While playing alongside Patrick Maroon and Tyler Johnson, he helped the team advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals by scoring a goal in a 2–0 win over the Hurricanes.

On July 7, 2021, Colton scored the first goal of Game 5 that ended up being the winning goal of the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, giving Tampa Bay their third Stanley Cup win in franchise history.

As a restricted free agent leading into the 2021–22 NHL season, Colton and the Lightning agreed to a two-year, $2.25-million contract extension on August 9, 2021.

As a pending restricted free agent at the conclusion of his two year contract, Colton was traded by the Lightning to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a second-round selection prior to the 2023 NHL Entry Draft on June 28, 2023. While in contract negotiations with the Avalanche, Colton filed for salary arbitration on July 5, 2023. On July 17 2023, Colton and the Avalanche avoided arbitration by agreeing to a four-year, $16 million contract.