Avalanche Prospect Portfolio: Separation season

The majority of leagues both junior and pro end long before the NHL does. That means this time of year is when the best carry their teams to the promised land and the Avs have more than a few prospects doing just that.

Pro Standouts:

Martin Kaut – RW (Colorado Avalanche) round 1, pick 16, 2018

The time has finally come. It took the Avs forward corps getting decimated for a second time, but Martin Kaut has gotten the call from the big club. The Avs are no doubt looking for a reliable defense conscious forward in the bottom six which is a box Kaut has been checking all year long. On top of that Kaut’s offensive consistency has gotten to where it needs to be over the last few weeks putting six points in his last eight games. Don’t expect Kaut to stick or even flash much in this call-up but getting that NHL experience this year is still a big plus to his development.

Conor Timmins – D (Colorado Eagles) round 2, pick 32, 2017

Timmins is a man who will not be slowed down. Since returning from injury in late January he has become a point machine with nine assists in the last ten games. His foot speed is still a bit questionable and the defensive end isn’t perfect but those are nitpicking. There are a dozen or more teams that would happily play him in the NHL today. Timmins makes the Eagles a noticeably better team offensively.

KHL:

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

The end of February marks the end of the KHL regular season. Lokomotiv is pretty locked into the six seed in the west and will face Jokerit in the first round. Kovalenko has established himself as a do it all forward, Loko is a fairly low scoring team allowing Kovy to stands fifth on the team in points. At the same time, he leads the teams forward in hits by nearly double.  A solid playoff run can help solidify a top-six spot for him next season in the KHL and after the conversation of bringing him over will come.

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

Zhuravlyov has unfortunately been out with injury since the last edition of the portfolio. My Russian is pretty spotty so it’s not exactly clear what the injury is but it does appear that he is close to returning to the lineup and should be back for the playoffs. The Ak Bars are the top seed in the East and poised for a deep playoff run. As a 19-year-old the experience will be great for Lil’ Z.

Liiga (Finland):

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

Annunen has finally seen a bit of a return to earth picking up a handful of losses. With that said there was only really one stinker in there and he has only given up more than three goals in the Liiga a single time this season. Kärpät remains at the top of the standings and Annunen will look to backstop the team to their second championship in three years.

NCAA:

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

Notre Dame continues to struggle in the second half but Clurman has puttered right along as a solid defensive roleplayer. Adding points here and there is a nice touch but it looks like it may be a struggle for this team to go anywhere in post-season tournaments. Clurman is realistically still two full years away if he’s going to earn a contract.

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

The year was shaping into a very solid one for Helleson being one of the most reliable blueliners for BC. Then the injury bug hit and Helleson has been held out for the last four games. Not much is known about the severity or even what exactly the injury was but with BC being one of the top ten teams in the country the hope is Helleson can return and be part of a deep run.

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

After missing five straight games for unknown reasons Leivermann bounced back in February with two goals in three games. The flashes of the offensive defenseman he was in the BCHL are there but a lack of consistency and unwillingness from Notre Dame to provide regular opportunity have slowed him down. He and Clurman are polar opposites and the hope is at least one of them figures it out as upperclassmen.

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

As Morrison goes so goes Notre Dame. In the second half, the team has not won a single game when Morrison doesn’t score. Morrison has picked it up again at least with four points in his last five games but even then that was only good enough to go 2 – 1 – 2. He is tied for the team lead in points so the idea that Notre Dame breeds offensive ineptitude continues to hold some water.

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

Alex Newhook has been nothing shy of a monster in the second half. Currently riding a six-game point streak in which he has four multi-point games for 13 points over that stretch. He is the highest-scoring underclassman by 12 points and a key factor in BC’s top ten ranking. While the two-year plan is probably still the answer he is going to make it a tough decision.

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

Minnesota has been a very good team since Ranta returned from worlds. Ranta has been solid if a bit streaky. He has already eclipsed his point total from last season and nearly doubled his goal total. He has definitely taken steps in the right direction they just haven’t been big ones. A strong finish to the season would do him well as next year will be a crucial one for him.

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

At this point, I only keep Smirnov in the portfolio because I’m a completionist and it would bug me if I didn’t.

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

After a very solid January, Stienburg’s production has almost completely dried up again with one point in his last seven games. Playing on one of the best teams in the NCAA, he is low forward on the totem pole when it comes to every game players. If he can’t find his way to points on a team this talented it’s hard not to ask the question if he ever will.

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

Weiss continues to be a consistent quality distributor in Omaha. We can safely say that part of his game has been established at the NCAA level. Now it’s time to start scoring goals and producing for himself. A player of his size and build is always going to be limited on the defensive side of the puck so he needs to round out the holes in his offense.

QMJHL:

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

Playing on a Huskies team that has been pretty depleted by injury has slowed Beaucage’s production a bit but he remains solidly over a point per game. The Huskies have been moving him around the lineup a lot even giving him a go at center which seems odd given his playstyle but this can be a good chance for him to gain a different perspective of the game. His skating remains a serious concern that won’t really have an answer until next season.

WHL:

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

Burzan has become a goal-scoring machine for a surging Brandon team. He’ll look to match his 40 goal total from last season and at that point, the hope is to earn a contract. Avoiding the fate of Brandon Saigeon and doing an overage year in juniors should be the goal.

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

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