NEW MEXICO GOATHEADS
Goatheads continue to bolster front line
Forward Briley Wood and winger Maxim Barbashev are latest additions
The New Mexico Goatheads are nearing the halfway point of their roster build.
The Colorado Avalanche鈥檚 ECHL affiliate announced the signing of forward Briley Wood on Tuesday and left winger Maxim Barbashev on Friday.
The two are the seventh and eighth players, respectively, to join the first-year franchise, which begins its season Oct. 16 at the Rio Rancho Events Center. ECHL teams are allowed a maximum of 20 players 鈥� 18 skaters and two goaltenders 鈥� after the first month of the regular season.
Wood, a 23-year-old Canadian, spent with the ECHL鈥檚 Rapid City Rush and recorded 10 goals and 22 assists in 71 games. The 6-foot-3, 188-pound forward appeared in 72 games with the ECHL鈥檚 Utah Grizzlies in 2024-25, where he recorded 20 goals and 27 assists. He also with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche鈥檚 AHL affiliate.
Barbashev, a 22-year-old from Moscow, is the younger brother of Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev. The elder Barbashev is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the 2019 St. Louis Blues and the 2023 Golden Knights. He played for a third last season.
The younger Barbashev, meanwhile, between the Allen Americans and the Grizzlies. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound winger finished with nine goals and 12 assists in 50 ECHL games. He also appeared in with the AHL鈥檚 Tucson Roadrunners where Goatheads coach Zack Stortini was an assistant.
Barbashev spent 2024-25 with the ECHL鈥檚 Bloomington Bison (36 games, 3 goals, 5 assists) and the AHL鈥檚 Hartford Wolfpack (6 games, 1 goal, 1 assist).
He was originally taken in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL draft by the New York Rangers.
David Glovach covers New Mexico 近距离内射合集 and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X .
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