Colorado Eagles Sign Hedden, Hansen-Bukata as Defensemen on Tryout Deals

Fresh off an eight-game road trip, the Colorado Eagles bolstered their blue line by signing two defensemen to short-term deals on March 16, adding Air Force graduate Chris Hedden on an Amateur Tryout Agreement and Aiden Hansen-Bukata on a Professional Tryout Agreement.

Hedden arrives with a standout collegiate résumé. The 6-foot, 185-pound blueliner just completed his senior season at Air Force, where he captained the Falcons throughout 2025-26 and led every skater on the roster with 12 goals and 34 points. For a defenseman to pace an entire program in scoring is the kind of production that draws AHL attention, and the Eagles moved quickly once his collegiate eligibility expired.

Hansen-Bukata joins on a professional tryout, the standard short-term mechanism clubs use to evaluate players outside their contracted roster. No additional biographical details or statistics were available at the time of the announcement.

The timing of both signings is notable. Colorado had just returned from a grueling stretch away from home, wrapping up the season-long, eight-game road trip with a 2-1 loss to the San Diego Gulls on March 14. Valtteri Puustinen scored the Eagles' lone goal in that defeat, with Gulls forward Nikita Nesterenko and defenseman Tristan Luneau providing the offense for San Diego.

The Eagles enter this stretch of the schedule carrying the weight of last season's expectations. Colorado's 2024-25 campaign ended in the AHL Pacific Division finals, where the Abbotsford Canucks eliminated them 3-2 in a five-game series before going on to win the Calder Cup. Adding depth on the back end, even through tryout agreements, reflects the organization's intent to remain competitive down the stretch of the current season.