Avalanche Prospect Portfolio: Closing time

Both the CHL and KHL have announced the cancellation of their playoffs and with that, outside of a possible AHL return, Avs prospect seasons are over. Over the next few months, I will be doing full-season review videos for key Avs prospects but this will act as an overall summary for all of the Avs prospects and their season statistics.

Pro Surprises:

There is still the potential for the AHL to return so there could be more to add here but for now, I am treating this as the endpoint of the season for the Eagles. Most Avs fans are familiar enough with prospects that got more than a few games in the NHL so let’s touch on some of the unexpected successes instead.

Shane Bowers – C (Colorado Eagles) Matt Duchene trade piece

As a first-year pro, the big question around Bowers was if his offense could translate to the next level. Safe to say the answer is yes, at least in the AHL. Bowers was already an extremely well-rounded player and he showed some versatility spending time both at center and on the wing this season. While not totally unexpected as a first round pick, he was in the conversation for a call-up a lot faster than many expected. The roster remains tight for the Avs but you can expect Bowers to make his NHL debut next season.

Adam Werner – G (Colorado Avalanche) round 5, pick 131, 2016

While many people remember his relief shutout effort for Francouz in the NHL, Werner also put together a solid season behind that in the AHL. His season was a bit inconsistent at times with a few stinkers along the way but he would respond to those with top-end .950+ sv% performances regularly. There is still work to be done but certainly, the potential for something is there. With the Avs locking down both goalies through next year he has time.

KHL:

Nikolai Kovalenko – RW (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) round 6, pick 171, 2018

Kovalenko had a very encouraging season and was first on my list of in-depth season review videos. You can check out his season breakdown and grade here.

Daniil Zhuravlyov – D (Ak Bars Kazan) round 5, pick 146, 2018

A promising season cut short by a broken leg. Zhuravlyov had a very solid first half but after a less than stellar world juniors never managed to find his footing again. He was healthy enough to play at the end of the year for Kazan but they opted to healthy scratch him for the entirety of the first round and then the KHL season was canceled. Another full year in the KHL will do him well and it will also be crucial for him to prove he could be an NHL talent.

Liiga (Finland):

Justus Annunen – G (Oulun Kärpät) round 3, pick 64, 2018

Another player who dealt with injuries and a season cut short, Annunen has garnered much more hype than that of Zhuravlyov. A stellar year with incredible numbers and he even managed to set a Liiga record for most consecutive shutout time. There’s also an argument to be made that he was the Avs best delegate at World Juniors. He may well be the best goalie the Avs drafted in the 10’s with Calvin Pickard as the bar to beat. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, he still has a ways to go before the NHL. One more year in the Liiga seems to be the plan as he is in a very good spot and the Avs have plenty of options for the AHL already.

NCAA:

Nate Clurman – D (Notre Dame) round 6, pick 161, 2016

Clurman was rock steady all season for the Irish blue line which has been a pleasant surprise. He has seemed to settle into the role of a defense-first defenseman well and has shown a flash of puck-moving ability occasionally. While that’s great he didn’t really answer the questions about his ceiling, particularly in the offensive zone failing to register a single goal. Clurman almost certainly has two more years at Notre Dame ahead of him and anything can happen but realistically the only thing he will be known for is being in the Avs system for six years without signing a contract.

Drew Helleson – D (Boston College) round 2, pick 47, 2019

In many ways, Helleson’s season mirrored Clurman’s. Extremely solid defensively and gained the coaches’ trust, occasional puck-moving flashes and not nearly effective enough in the offensive zone. The difference being Helleson is a freshman and more than two years younger than Clurman. As with more than a few players on this list, the back half of his season was rough dealing with injuries and failing to record a point from the end of the season all the way back to mid-January. The defense is solid, next year will be about what else he can do.

Nicky Leivermann – D (Notre Dame) round 7, pick 187, 2017

Leivermann’s situation has pretty much crushed my faith in the Notre Dame program. When he committed I tried to convince myself it would be good for him and that system could help him on the defensive side of the puck. Instead, the Irish way has butted heads with his style pretty consistently. Even when he is hot offensively Notre Dame won’t give him the freedoms they gave defensemen like Bobby Nardella in the past. Maybe he gets a bit more rope as an upperclassman but the Avs and Notre Dame just don’t seem to mix.

Cam Morrison – LW (Notre Dame) round 2, pick 40, 2016

The breakthrough just never came for Morrison. He was never able to reach that next level in college hockey. Was it Notre Dame? His skill level? Both? I really can’t say, but the fact that he has not been signed to an ELC yet speaks for itself. He may eventually end up signing with the Avs or he may not and either way, it doesn’t feel like a needle mover. If he does stick with the organization he will have to show a side of his game that hasn’t been seen since his USHL days to go anywhere.

Alex Newhook – C (Boston College) round 1, pick 16, 2019

Is Alex Newhook the best prospect in the Avs system? Well no, that honor goes to Bowen Byram but the second Byram turns pro, Newhook will take the throne. When the Avs took Newhook 16th overall these numbers were something they were hoping for in his sophomore year. Instead, he blew the doors off of everyone and gave the Avs an ace in the hole. He has committed to another year at BC after winning rookie of the year in the Hockey East this season and talk of him competing for Hobey Baker in 2021 is already circulating. One season on from the draft, this is what it looks like when everything goes right.

Sampo Ranta – LW (Minnesota) round 3, pick 78, 2018

This was a year of solid improvement from Ranta. He improved on his freshman season in almost every category and particularly found consistency in the first 75% of the schedule. A dip in play through February that lasted just a little too long dragged down what was shaping up to be an extremely effective year. The tools are there; can he put them all in the toolbox? We’ll find out next year as he returns to Minnesota where he should have all the opportunity in the world to break out.

Denis Smirnov – LW (Penn State) round 6, pick 156, 2017

Smirnov is a graduating senior and I would be very surprised if the Avs gave him a contract. The Avs took a shot in the late rounds on an older freshman who had an eye-popping season and it just didn’t work out. No harm, no foul.

Matthew Stienburg – C (Cornell) round 3, pick 63, 2019

After a very slow start to the year offensively, Stienburg finally managed to find some success at the end of the season to at least hit double-digit points. The ceiling is still very much a question and the road is still a long one so take what wins you can. With Cornell being one of the top teams in the NCAA, he truly missed out on a great postseason opportunity with the cancellation of the season.

Tyler Weiss – LW (Nebraska Omaha) round 4, pick 109, 2018

Weiss had the year he was supposed to have last season. Unlike his freshman year, he managed to stay healthy and proved he can play his distribution style game in the NCAA. That’s a solid step in the right direction but he is on the clock now. He needs to be able to drive play more. He should be a big fish in a small pond at UNO especially next year as an upperclassman. If he can lead that team to some success then the hype will build.

QMJHL:

Alex Beaucage – RW (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies) round 3, pick 78, 2019

Even with the premature end to the season Beaucage still managed to reach the 40 goal plateau. All the skills that got him drafted have been raised above and beyond that of his peers in the QMJHL. This is great but it also sets him up on an interesting path. Over the offseason and next year he needs to work on the weaknesses in his game (skating foremost) so don’t be surprised if his production dips in the future. The Avs always tend to wait on handing out contracts but I have to imagine Beaucage is a lock for one eventually.

WHL:

Luka Burzan – RW (Brandon Wheat Kings) round 6, pick 171, 2019

Burzan turned 20 in January, meaning if he were to go back to the WHL next year it would be as an overage player. So the question is, did he earn a contract? The numbers and the smooth offensive operator playstyle along with wearing an “A” for Brandon say yes. The Avs history with players like Brandon Saigeon pumps the breaks on that. For a player drafted in his second time through the draft on a team that took most of the year to find it’s identity, I’m not sure what more could be asked of Burzan here. The next step that anything can be taken from is pro for him.

Bowen Byram – D (Vancouver Giants) round 1, pick 4, 2019

Trent Miner – G (Vancouver Giants) round 7, pick 202, 2019