The Colorado Avalanche delayed the drama of the NHL Draft on Friday night when they traded out of the first round.
Becoming the first time to consumate a trade with the newly-minted Utah Hockey Club, the Avalanche dealt the 24th overall pick to their Rocky Mountain neighbors in exchange for picks 38 and 71 this year as well as the 2025 second-round selection of the New York Rangers, which had previously been acquired when the team was still the Arizona Coyotes.
Colorado’s move down the board kept the team from immediately adding another prospect to its pipeline, but added some badly-needed additional draft capital. Colorado was originally scheduled to pick 24th but not again until the 121st pick, late in the fourth round.
The Avs haven’t selected in the second round since they drafted Sean Behrens in 2021 as they have aggressively used their second-round selections to trade for players already in the NHL.
Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said they saw this as an opportunity to move down the board, add additonal assets, and they still feel confident they will get a player they liked with the 38th pick, the sixth of the second round.
The Avs enter Day 2 now with picks at 38, 71, 121, 132, 137, 185, 215, and 217.
Prospects we like for 38th overall
Igor Chernyshov, LW, Dynamo Mosvka
That Chernyshov wasn’t selected in the first round was one of the shocks of the day. He’s a power forward with a physically mature body already and played a responsible defensive role in the KHL as a teenager, a rarity in that league.
His largest drawback is his offensive upside as it was difficult to see a dynamic player destined for a top-six job when he scored just four points in 34 KHL games. That uncertainty likely helped push him down the board but he shouldn’t last long into Round 2.
Charlie Elick, D, Brandon Wheat Kings
The bruising defenseman not being selected was surprising to me, especially when the more limited EJ Emery landed with the New York Rangers with the 30th pick. Elick is a right-handed defenseman with excellent size at 6’3″, 200 pounds already and has great feet and a nasty attitude.
There are questions surrounding his offensive upside and hockey sense as he tends to get himself into trouble with the puck, especially when he’s under pressure. There isn’t a lot of dreaming on the offense, but he’d be a nice addition to the Avalanche system as a bruising defenseman.
Andrew Basha, LW, Medicine Hat Tigers
A favorite of the DNVR Avalanche crew, Basha’s speed and tenacity will certainly play as he continues to develop. He’s got a great mind for the game as he attacks into the middle areas of the ice on the back of his great skating and hard work.
Basha has average size but uses it well along the walls. I don’t like his shot and think that he likely won’t be a threat to score from the outside, limiting his offensive upside. He could have a future as an effective checking-line forward whose speed stresses defense, which would be more appealing at pick 38 than it was at 24.
Stiga is a warrior on skates, a heart-and-soul type whose offensive game came on late but wasn’t enough to get him into the first round. Teams absolutely love his makeup as he’s the kind of guy that feels destined for a big playoff moment in his career but is unlikely to ever push for an All-Star appearance.
The reality is that small wings (he’s just 5’10”, 176 lbs) with questionable offensive upside aren’t in high demand in the first round, but at pick 38 he would be a great fit for the Avalanche and would someday be a fan favorite in Ball Arena. He’s my pick if he’s still on the board when Colorado goes back on the clock.
Nikita Artamonov, LW/RW, Torpedo
The KHL teammate of newest Av Nikolai Kovalenko, the Avalanche will have every imaginable piece of intel on Artamonov. I’ve never been in love with his game, but that was when viewed through the lens of picking at 24. At 38, I’m much more comfortable with his pros and cons as a motor-first player whose skill lags behind his tryhard.
Similar to Kovalenko, he plays with aggression and skill despite not possessing great size. I’ve thought of him more as a connector than play-driver and he profiles as a valuable glue guy more than building block.
That’s a good fit for what Colorado needs and there will be a rare comfort level between the Avs and Artamonov’s KHL squad given their ongoing relationship during Kovalenko’s tenure in recent seasons.
Dominik Badinka, Defense, Malmo Redhawks
A Czech defender playing in the SHL, Badinka isn’t a player who will overwhelm you with skill but shows an affinity for playing high-level hockey. He’s a physical specimen as a right-shot defender who stands at 6’3″, but it’s the hockey sense that stood out to me.
He’s an intelligent player whose defensive game is more mature than his offensive profile, but his high-level reads could translate to a more skilled game in a few years down the road. A big question about him is in his upside as he might top out as a second-pairing defenseman, but his do-it-all skill set is certainly intriguing.
Avalanche defensemen to be?
The list above is by no means an exhaustive one but is the players we like the most. Here are a defense prospects who fit what the Avalanche look for along their blueline but aren’t guys that would fill an organizational need.
Hutson is so far having a similar draft experience to his older brother, Lane, who was drafted in the second round in 2022 before becoming one of college hockey’s most dynamic defensemen the last two seasons.
Cole is a similarly styled player as an offensive-defenseman who attacks up the ice and creates for his teammates. He’s undersized at just 5’10”, 160 pounds and there are very real questions about his ability in his own zone as well as the physical aspects of the game.
When you think of this era of Avalanche defenseman, there are arguably few better stylistic fits than Cole Hutson.
Alfons Freij, Defense, Vaxjo Lakers
Freij is a player we talked about as a potential target for Colorado at 24 because he’s got good size and is the type of smooth-skating defenseman the Avalanche covet.
He isn’t an overly dynamic player, which limits the offensive upside, but his hockey sense and work in transition are standout traits that would make him fit nicely as an Av.
Kiviharju is a guy who used to be one of the most-talked about prospects in this class but a knee injury at the beginning of the season limited his opportunity to show much-needed development to only seven games.
Kiviharju is a smaller defenseman but is arguably the best transition defenseman in this entire class as he controls the game through the neutral zone and gets out of his own end with ease.
For a smaller player, his skating may not be good enough, however, and his in-zone offense has been frustratingly limited for a player who is so talented via the rush.
Darkhorse prospect
John Mustard, LW, Waterloo Black Hawks
Mustard was a bit of a mystery before this past season but his lone year in the USHL was intriguing. First and foremost, Mustard is a skating whiz who is a whirling dervish of motion at all times. He knows his feet are his best attribute and he puts them to good use.
He has a good shot but is currently an offense-only player who has questions about his physicality and ability to read the ice. He’s an intriguing upside roll of the dice who I will be keeping an eye on as Day 2 rolls on.
