Christian Wolanin

Christian Wolanin (born March 17, 1995) is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Wolanin was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round, 107th overall, in the 2015 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Wolanin began his hockey career with the Green Bay Gamblers and Muskegon Lumberjacks in the United States Hockey League (USHL). While with the Lumberjacks, Wolanin was named to the USHL Second All-Star Team. After playing in the USHL, Wolanin committed to the University of North Dakota.

While majoring in communications at North Dakota, Wolanin played in 32 games during his freshman season, and ranked third in the conference among rookie defensemen in scoring as UND won the national championship. He was named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team at the conclusion of the season.

After playing three seasons with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Wolanin signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Senators. He made his NHL debut on March 22, 2018, in a 6–2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. He scored his first NHL goal April 2, 2018 in a game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Wolanin spent the beginning of the 2018–19 season with the Senators American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators, but was recalled to the NHL on October 25. On January 23, 2019, Wolanin was added to the 2019 AHL All-Star Game roster.

On July 4, 2019, Wolanin was signed to a two-year, $1.8 million contract extension with the final year on a one-way basis. Wolanin was hampered by injuries throughout the duration of his two-year contract. While in his final season under contract in the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Wolanin was traded by the Senators to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Michael Amadio on March 29, 2021.

Wolanin re-signed with the Kings on July 6, 2021, agreeing to a one-year, $750,000 contract extension. After attending the Kings 2021 training camp, Wolanin remained on the roster to open the season. Before making an appearance, Wolanin was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Buffalo Sabres on October 16, 2021. Wolanin remained with the Sabres as added blueline depth insurance featuring in a lone contest, going scoreless in a 5–3 defeat to the Washington Capitals on November 8, 2021. Wolanin's brief tenure with the Sabres ended on December 1, 2021, after he was re-claimed off waivers by the Kings and was immediately re-assigned to AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

As a free agent in the following off-season, Wolanin was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 14, 2022.

Following the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, Wolanin remained un-signed over the summer and was belatedly signed into the 2025–26 season to a professional tryout contract with the Providence Bruins, affiliate to the Boston Bruins. The Providence Bruins later signed Wolanin to a one-year contract on December 7, 2025. Wolanin appeared in 53 game with Providence, pacing the team amongst blueliners with 24 assists and 31 points.

As a free agent, Wolanin secured a NHL contract for the season by signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche on July 4, 2026.

Personal life Wolanin's father, Craig, played in 695 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. As a result of his father's career, Wolanin lived in Quebec City, Denver, Tampa and Toronto before his family permanently settled in Rochester, Michigan. and chose to play for the U.S. national team for the first time at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2012–13 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 54 0 8 8 70 4 1 0 1 2 2013–14 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 23 1 4 5 30 — — — — — 2013–14 Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL 32 5 16 21 44 — — — — — 2014–15 Muskegon Lumberjacks USHL 56 14 27 41 107 12 3 5 8 20 2015–16 University of North Dakota NCHC 32 4 11 15 20 — — — — — 2016–17 University of North Dakota NCHC 37 6 16 22 37 — — — — — 2017–18 University of North Dakota NCHC 40 12 23 35 50 — — — — — 2017–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 10 1 2 3 0 — — — — — 2018–19 Belleville Senators AHL 40 7 24 31 24 — — — — — 2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 30 4 8 12 6 — — — — — 2019–20 Belleville Senators AHL 9 1 0 1 7 — — — — — 2019–20 Ottawa Senators NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2020–21 Ottawa Senators NHL 15 0 3 3 6 — — — — — 2020–21 Belleville Senators AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2020–21 Ontario Reign AHL 2 0 3 3 2 — — — — — 2020–21 Los Angeles Kings NHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2021–22 Ontario Reign AHL 37 1 17 18 22 5 1 3 4 4 2021–22 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8 1 1 2 2 — — — — — 2022–23 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 49 6 49 55 22 6 1 4 5 2 2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 16 0 3 3 4 — — — — — 2023–24 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 42 5 24 29 20 6 2 1 3 0 2024–25 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 58 4 36 40 44 17 2 8 10 12 2025–26 Providence Bruins AHL 53 7 24 31 14 2 0 1 1 12NHL totals 86 6 17 23 20 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2019 United States WC 7th 6 0 0 0 0 2021 United States WC 10 1 5 6 0Senior totals 16 1 5 6 0

Awards and honors Award Year RefUSHL All-USHL Second Team 2015 Calder Cup Champion2025