Colby Cohen Colby Shane Cohen ( born April 25 , 1989 ) is an American professional Ice Hockey Defenseman who most recently played for the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League . Playing career . Amateur . Cohen first played junior hockey with the Syracuse Stars in the and the Ontario Junior Hockey League in the 2004 – 05 season . Colby was selected to play in the U . S . National Team Development Program and represented the United States in the 2006 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge , in a silver - medal performance . Committing to a collegiate career with Boston University for 2008 , Cohen began the 2006 – 07 season with the USNTDP before leaving , citing unhappiness within his role , to join the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League . In his lone season with the Stars , Cohen established his offensive prowess and led the entire USHL among defensemen with 60 points in 53 games to earn a place in the USHL Second All - Star Team . Cohen was then selected as the Colorado Avalanche ' s second choice , 45th overall , in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft , to join the Avalanche first round pick , former Development Program teammate and fellow BU recruit , Kevin Shattenkirk . In his freshman year with the Terriers in 2007 – 08 , he played in 39 out of a possible 40 games in the Hockey East , finishing third among Terriers Blueliners , and trailing only Shattenkirk in Assists with 13 . In his sophomore year , Colby enjoyed his most successful collegiate season as BU advanced to the Frozen Four Tournament . In 43 games he compiled 8 Goals and 24 Assists to finish second among Terrier defensemen with 32 Points , while also posting a Plus / Minus of 24 to finish fifth overall in the country . Colby earned selection to the Frozen Four All - Tournament Team and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament after scoring the overtime game - winning Goal , from a pass from Defense partner Shattenkirk , in a 4 – 3 victory over the Miami Redhawks to win the 2009 National Championship . Returning for his junior campaign with the Terriers in 2009 – 10 , Cohen was named as Player of the Month in January but was unable to help the team defend its National Championship after losing in the Hockey East Semi - finals . Cohen was named to the Hockey East " First All - Star Team " and the NCAA " East First All - American Team " as he led the team ' s defense with 30 points in 36 games , scoring 14 Goals which were the most scored in a single season by a BU Defenseman in over 30 years . Following elimination , Cohen brought an end to his collegiate career , signing an entry level contract alongside Shattenkirk , with the Avalanche on April 3 , 2010 . Professional . Upon signing with the Avalanche , he moved directly into the AHL and made his professional debut with the Lake Erie Monsters . He finished the 2009 – 10 season with one assist in three games . Prior to the 2010 – 11 season , Cohen attended his first Avalanche training camp and was among the final cuts assigned to Lake Erie on October 3 , 2010 . After starting the season with the Monsters , Cohen was recalled by the injury - depleted Avalanche and made his NHL debut in a 5 – 0 shutout win against the Dallas Stars on November 6 , 2010 . In his ascension to the NHL , Cohen again joined Shattenkirk as a teammate along the blueline . After three games with the Avalanche , Cohen was returned to Lake Erie before being traded to the Boston Bruins for Matt Hunwick on November 29 , 2010 . On April 14 , 2011 , Cohen was called up by the Boston Bruins as a spare for the playoffs , but he did not play so his name was not engraved on the Stanley Cup as a result of the team winning the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs . The Bruins did , however , include Cohen in the official Stanley Cup photo , and he was presented with a Stanley Cup ring . On June 26 , 2013 , Cohen signed his first European contract with the Finnish club Ässät . Only five games into the 2013 – 14 season with Ässät , Cohen left the team to join the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League , for which he would play for 2 games . After his stint with the Rampage , Cohen joined NESN as a College Ice Hockey Analyst while also completing his degree in from Boston University . Cohen signaled a return to Ice Hockey , signing a short - term contract with the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League . However , during pre - season , Cohen left the team , announcing his intention to return to North America . On October 17 , 2014 , Cohen signed a contract with the Reading Royals of the ECHL . After five scoreless games with the Royals , Cohen was traded to the Missouri Mavericks for future considerations on November 8 , 2014 . When the Mavericks acquired Cohen on November 8 , 2014 , they put him on their " Suspended " list . On November 10 , 2014 , the Mavericks activated Cohen from their " Suspended " list and traded him , before he had ever played a game for the team , to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL . Cohen decided not to report to the Stingrays and , on November 17 , 2014 , instead signed with HC 05 Banská Bystrica of the Slovak Extraliga for the remainder of the 2014 - 15 season . Consequently , the Stingrays suspended Cohen from its roster on November 11 , 2014 . Before his season with HC 05 Banská Bystrica was over , Cohen was forced to leave the team due for visa reasons . In light of this , Cohen re - joined with the Nottingham Panthers for the remainder of the . Personal life . Cohen , who is Jewish , was born and raised in Villanova , Pennsylvania . He attended . Cohen is also first cousin to Olympian and NFL draft pick . Cohen has recently been linked to Country Music singer / actress / model Rainey Qualley .