Chris Bigras

Playing career

Chris Bigras got his start in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament back in 2008, playing for the Barrie Colts minor team. He moved on to junior hockey with the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League. During the 2012-13 season, he suited up for Team Canada and helped the squad bring home gold at both the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships. Ranked as a top prospect for the 2013 NHL entry draft, he was eventually picked by the Colorado Avalanche.

At his first Avalanche training camp, Bigras made a strong impression from the blue line, earning a three-year entry-level contract on September 17, 2013. Head coach Patrick Roy praised his play, and Bigras was among the last players cut, sent back to the Owen Sound Attack for the 2013-14 season. He was named an alternate captain there. Though his offensive numbers dipped on a weaker Owen Sound team, league coaches voted him the OHL’s best defensive defenseman.

That summer, Bigras attended Canada’s national junior development camp before heading to his second Avalanche training camp. He didn’t perform as well as he had the first time and was reassigned to Owen Sound. In his final junior season, 2014-15, he became the Attack’s top defenseman. He broke out offensively, leading all team blueliners in goals (20), assists (51), and points (71) over 62 games, finishing second in the OHL. He made the OHL First All-Star Team and set Owen Sound all-time scoring records for defensemen, finishing his junior career with 120 assists and 155 points.

After a first-round playoff loss ended his OHL run, Bigras signed an amateur try-out contract with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, on April 7, 2015. He made his professional debut that night against the Chicago Wolves. He picked up his first professional point, an assist, in his next game on April 9 against the Rochester Americans. With the Monsters out of playoff contention, he finished the season with four assists in seven games.