DREAM COME TRUE: 5-Star Recruit Jonathan Marchessault Fully Committed to Colorado Avalanche NHL Despite SEC Interest
The glare of the arena lights danced across the ice like stars falling in slow motion. Inside the Colorado Avalanche’s state-of-the-art practice facility, Jonathan Marchessault laced up his skates for the first time as an official member of the team he’d dreamed about since he was eight years old.
It was surreal. It was his dream come true.
“I’ve always been a hockey guy,” Marchessault said, adjusting his maroon and blue Avalanche jersey during his introductory press conference. “Even when the offers came in from big-time SEC schools—Florida, Georgia, Bama—I knew where my heart was.”
The story of how a 5-star dual-sport phenom turned down millions in NIL money and college football glory to chase pucks in Denver is the kind of tale that feels plucked straight from a sports movie. Except this one is real—well, mostly.
At 18, Marchessault was already a legend in Quebec youth sports. On the ice, he was a sniper with a wicked release and freakish hockey IQ. On the football field, he played quarterback like he was born for it—fast, precise, and unshakable under pressure. He had committed to LSU as a junior, and rumors were swirling that he could challenge for the starting role by Week 3.
But hockey was his first love, and the Avalanche had been watching.
It started with a phone call from Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland.
“We know what you can do on a football field,” MacFarland said. “But we believe in what you can do in the NHL. We’re ready to offer you something no one else can—a place in this organization. Now.”
Jonathan didn’t sleep that night. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thoughts racing. The next morning, he texted his trainer: “Let’s hit the ice. I’m all in.”
By the time the 2025 NHL Draft rolled around, he’d formally withdrawn his football commitment and announced he was “100 percent focused on hockey.” Avalanche scouts had him slotted as a top-10 pick, but what happened next surprised even Jonathan.
Colorado traded up. They had to have him.
“Look, we’ve scouted this kid for years,” said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. “He’s got the mentality of a winner, and the kind of edge we want. You can’t teach that.”
On draft night, Marchessault’s name was called at No. 4 overall, and the crowd in Las Vegas erupted. The camera caught Jonathan hugging his mom, tears in his eyes, and whispering, “We made it.”
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Fast forward a few months to Denver, and Marchessault looks like he belongs.
During a scrimmage, he toe-dragged past two defenders and rifled a top-shelf wrister that beat the Avalanche starting goalie clean. The vets on the bench banged their sticks on the boards.
“You don’t see kids with that kind of poise and swagger,” said Nathan MacKinnon. “He’s got it.”
Off the ice, Marchessault has embraced life in Colorado. He hikes in the Rockies on off-days, eats at local food trucks, and has become a fan favorite already, known for staying late after practice to sign autographs for kids.
“I want them to see that it’s possible,” he says. “Doesn’t matter if you come from a small town in Quebec or get tempted by football scholarships. If you love hockey, chase it.”
But that doesn’t mean the SEC’s interest just vanished. Even after his draft announcement, several football programs attempted to lure him back, with promises of Heisman campaigns and multimillion-dollar NIL deals. Alabama’s offensive coordinator even flew to Montreal.
Jonathan declined every meeting.
“My future’s on the ice,” he said simply.
His agent confirmed that Jonathan turned down over $5 million in college football endorsements to stay with the Avalanche.
“He didn’t blink. I’ve never seen that level of conviction in a teenager,” the agent said.
Avalanche fans are already dreaming about a new core built around Marchessault, along with veterans like Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen. There’s talk of him cracking the lineup as early as next season—maybe even making a playoff push.
“The kid’s special,” Makar said. “There’s a fire in him. You can see it.”
But Jonathan remains humble, often deflecting praise and focusing on what’s ahead.
“I haven’t done anything yet,” he said after a recent preseason game. “This is just the beginning. I want to earn everything.”
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The Marchessault family has become a fixture at Ball Arena. His parents, Sylvie and Marc, fly in for every game, sitting behind the bench in Avalanche jerseys. His younger brother, Etienne, already has his own mini stick and begs to skate after practices.
“It’s not just my dream,” Jonathan says. “It’s ours.”
He’s become a symbol of something bigger—proof that chasing your passion matters, even when other options are shinier on the surface.
“There’s always going to be pressure to go where the money is,” Marchessault says. “But sometimes the real reward is doing what you love, even if it’s the harder path.”
As he skates off the ice, sweat dripping from his brow, the crowd roars in anticipation. This isn’t just about goals and assists. It’s about heart.
Jonathan Marchessault chose the Avalanche, and in doing so, he may have changed the course of the franchise—and inspired a generation