MacDonald was second on the team in points for the Eagles, can he do it again?
Colorado Eagles’ defenseman Jacob MacDonald had a career year in the AHL. The veteran tied his season high in points (55) from seven years ago. Can Eagles’ fans expect the same production from MacDonald again this season? What changed that boosted his production this season? We are going to answer those questions and more in this article on what to expect from the alternate captain of the Eagles this upcoming season.
MACDONALD WITH THE HATTIE!!!!!!!!!!!! MacDonald nails the empty net for the hattie with help from Smith and Senden #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @MileHighHockey pic.twitter.com/GchUz0Dz2K
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 12, 2025
For the upcoming 2025-26 season, MacDonald will go into the second year of his two-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche. But this is not his first go with the organization. He first played with the Avalanche and the Eagles starting 2019-20. He made his Avalanche debut on January 31, 2021 and played 33 games that season in the NHL. However, in the following season he would only see eight games with the Avalanche but MacDonald played as a fourth line forward and became more useful as a utility player to the Avalanche. In the 2022-23 season, MacDonald saw more action and played an additional 33 games before being traded to the San Jose Sharks for Ryan Merkley and Matt Nieto. Martin Kaut also went to San Jose with MacDonald. He would spend the rest of the season with the Sharks and bounce between the Barracuda and Sharks in 2023–24.
In the 2017-18 season with the Binghamton Devils in which MacDonald previously scored 55 points, he was more willing to play as a winger. This could have led to more assists as he was trying to create plays, not score goals. Now, with the Eagles, MacDonald was one of the primary threats on the power play. The power play was often driven by his defensive partner Jack Ahcan, who also saw a career high in points. The Eagles had a high mix of veterans and offensively skilled players that are still perfecting their game.
MacDonald felt left out as he gets his 21st of the season and the Eagles’ 5th goal in the period. This ends Hellberg’s night and Matthew Phillips (23) and Jack Ahcan (26) with the helpers. Ahcan now has three assists in the period. #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @MileHighHockey pic.twitter.com/f592Eqkv6C
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 23, 2025
MacDonald had an exceptional season with the Eagles as he broke an AHL goal-scoring record with 31 tallies and led the league in both points and goals by a defenseman. To add to that, MacDonald would add the Eddie Shore Award to his collection (AHL Norris Trophy).
As the lineup stands right now, there will not be much help for MacDonald and his production next season. Late in the season, Colorado paired MacDonald with John Ludvig, but rumors say the RFA is going to Europe. Calle Rosen often saw time with MacDonald and benefited from playing together. Like Ahcan, Rosen is an unrestricted free agent. Sean Behrens will return from a knee injury that kept him out all of last season. The former University of Denver Pioneer could throw a spark into the back end, but he plays the same side as MacDonald.
MacDonald with a rocket for his second PP goal of the of the night and his 23rd goal of the season. Tynan now has four assists tonight, Phillips with a goal and an assist. #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @MileHighHockey pic.twitter.com/Uy7wG1Qwwy
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) March 9, 2025
MacDonald may not see the same amount of production as this last season, but that does not mean he will not have high numbers. The Oregon native will be the driving force on the blue line (other than Behrens) and the Eagles will come to depend on that. Colorado has built their offense not just on forward depth, but defensive depth as well. This will only help to benefit MacDonald, but not nearly as much as last season.