Duluth, GA - The Atlanta Gladiators, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced on Wednesday via the team’s YouTube channel that the team has signed forward Colton Friesen for the 2026-27 season.

Friesen, 24, enters his first season of professional hockey following three seasons at Augustana University. The 5’11”, 180-pound forward finished his senior season with 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 37 games – career highs in all categories. Friesen finished second in points, third in goals, and tied for second in assists among Vikings skaters in the 2025-26 season. 

The native of Winnipeg, MB, began his collegiate career at the NCAA Division III level at the University of Wisconsin-Superior in the 2022-23 season, where he scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 29 games to lead the team in scoring. Friesen then made the leap to the NCAA Division I level joining Augustana University for the 2023-24 season. He went on to play the next three seasons with the Vikings, improving his goal, assist, point, and games played totals year over year, amassing 22 goals and 33 assists for 55 points in 93 games at the Division I level. 

Prior to his collegiate career, Friesen played in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Anchorage Wolverines in the 2021-22 season, scoring 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points in 60 games and was named an NAHL Top-Team All-Star and to the 2022 NAHL Robertson Cup All-Tournament Team.

“Colton is coming off a very good season at Augustana where he was relied upon to be a difference maker offensively. Colton has a very good shot and release; and does a great job getting into shooting opportunities and getting it off. He competes hard, wins battles, and uses his smarts to play a 200-foot game,” said Gladiators’ Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations, Matt Ginn. 

Ginn continued to say, “Colton has had to prove himself at every level; starting in the NCAA Division III before making the jump to Division I and becoming a leading scorer for his Division I team. He is hungry and exactly the type of player we want to bring into our program. We’re excited to bring Colton to Atlanta.”

Colton Friesen joins Max Neill, Connor Caponi, Kyle Pow, Anthony Cipollone, Joey Cipollone, Jack Blake, Stephen Calisti, Ryan Nolan, Kirklan Irey, Sam Tremblay, Mickey Burns, Ethan Strang, Corson Hopwo, Andrew Jarvis, Josh Winquist, Mike McNamee, Branden Troock, Mason Ward, Brendan Less, and Ryan Conroy as players who have signed with the Gladiators for the 2026-27 season. 

The Gladiators are announcing player signings LIVE on the Atlanta Gladiators YouTube channel! Subscribe for exclusive content and stay up to date with the latest signings as the 2026-27 roster takes shape with live announcements on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 6:00 PM Eastern. 

The Gladiators home opener is set for October 17^th at Gas South Arena at 7:10 PM! Single game tickets are available HERE, or secure your seats with a season ticket package by calling our sales hotline at 770-497-5100! 

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