With the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche have selected Tyson Jost from the Penticton Vees.

Tyson Jost was the 16th ranked skater by Central Scouting, and put up 42 goals and 62 points in 48 games played with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. Jost has gained additional acclaim for his impressive international play, breaking Connor McDavid’s World Junior Championship Tournament scoring record with 6 goals and 9 assists in 7 games.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic and head coach Patrick Roy, have made it known that they would like to build the roster while focusing on three attributes; size, speed, and skill and while Jost doesn’t bring much size, he certainly boasts plenty of speed and skill. The highest priority in Avalanche player selection in recent years has been skating, and Jost is an excellent skater. What makes Jost unique in the Avalanche prospect pool is his 200 foot game and defensive prowess. It’s possible that with this selection the Avalanche hope they can replace the two-way center they lost in Ryan O’Reilly.

Jost has exceptional hockey IQ and in our predraft profile of him a scout called him a “shark,” who reads the ice well and darts in and out of space to ambush unsuspecting opponents either by driving past them to get open in a scoring position, or by picking off passes or stealing pucks and turning up ice. Jost doesn’t have any bad habits and is an unpredictable player for the opposition thanks to his willingness to use the entire offensive zone to make plays.

Jost is a bigtime face off man for Penticton and plays a critical defensive role for their squad, including killing penalties. He is relentless on defense, using both his stick and body to hound puck carriers, strip the puck and head up ice all in one smooth motion. His high IQ extends to the defensive zone, where he is every bit as good at taking away passing lanes as he is at creating them on offense.

While Jost was ranked significantly lower than 10th overall by Central Scouting, other scouting services like Future Considerations, the Black Book, and McKeen’s and pundits like Corey Pronman, Bob McKenzie, and Craig Button all ranked Jost between 9th and 11th overall. Jost is set to leave the BCHL and likely become the number 1 center for the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks next season.

Jost has been continually praised for his leadership and two way play throughout his BCHL career and without a doubt the biggest concern about his play is that his draft season came against significantly weaker competition in a lower quality league. The Avalanche had not made a BCHL selection since choosing Brandon Yip 239th overall in the 2004 draft.

The Avalanche are set to make five more selections in the 2016 NHL draft tomorrow, beginning with 40th overall.