Meet the 2023 Colorado Avalanche draft class

The 2023 NHL Draft has come and gone and the Colorado Avalanche, in a decision surprising to many of us, made both of the first-round selections they ended up walking into the draft with while also using their own picks in rounds 5-7.

That means there are five new prospects in the Avalanche pipeline. Let’s see who the Avs got.

Round 1

27th overall – Calum Ritchie, Center, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
6’2″ 187 pounds
59 GP 24 G 45 A 59 Pts

Anyone watching the live draft show knows there was disappointment among DNVR Avalanche in the selection, but this isn’t about us and how we feel. At the 27th pick, the Avalanche might have benefited mightily from a player who fought through shoulder dislocation issues basically all season. Had he been healthy and producing at the level that was expected of the former 2nd overall pick of the OHL Draft, Ritchie may never have fallen to Colorado given his size, high-end hockey sense and hockey IQ, and sound two-way game.

This isn’t a player who is overly dynamic, but Ritchie’s game is defined by its maturity and purposeful nature. As he ascends the ranks, his play has a chance to get even better because his intelligence will help him thrive in more structured environments. There is no more structured hockey environment than the NHL, so his very intentional way of playing may pop in the NHL more than does in lower levels because he’s meant to be on the game’s biggest stage.

The flip side of this is that Ritchie isn’t a guy who is going to wow you. If the best-case scenario right now is a second-line center, that’s great and something everyone should be hoping happens. The downside here feels like the shoulder issues aren’t what was holding him back but rather a lack of high-end skill that keeps him from being aggressively promoted up the ranks.

If he doesn’t stick at center, the value here takes a serious dive, too. Ritchie is also probably three years from contributing in the NHL, so there isn’t a sense right now that a fast track to the league to help alleviate some of Colorado’s salary cap issues is on the table.

31st overall – Mikhail Gulyayev, Defenseman, Omsk (KHL)
5’10” 172 pounds
13 GP 0 G 1 A 1 Pts

This is one of those situations where a team drafts a player and everyone else says “how did we let this happen?” Colorado has become one of the league’s premier destinations for offensive defensemen and with Gulyayev added to the ranks, the Avs add to Sean Behrens and get another prospect who could slide into the NHL roster someday and be a wonderful fit in Colorado’s playstyle.

Gulyayev is on the small side, but like Behrens, he tries to make up for that in the defensive end with a level of competitiveness that you don’t see a ton of in smaller defenders. He can get himself into trouble chasing hits, but when he’s playing within himself in the defensive zone, his excellent skating ability allows him to be very sticky on the puck and he has a disruptive stick that he uses to regularly cause problems in passing lanes.

If you’re looking for a gritty, hard-nosed defender, Gulyayev won’t be giving you a whole lot of that. A lot of his success will come from his hockey IQ and anticipation. The offense was slow to come around last year but really popped at lower levels, which is what led to his promotion to the KHL.

His offensive instincts are great and despite that being his calling card, it’s the area of his game that you can still dream on having the most room for improvement over time. He could be a high-end offensive playmaker in the NHL if he gets stronger and continues to lean into his more aggressive tendencies, especially when he gets to Colorado.

When that may be is unclear, however, as he is signed in the KHL through 2025 so this is another guy whose NHL future is still years away. He needs that time to physically develop, especially his strength, so at least it should be time well-spent in waiting for him.

Round 5

155th overall – Nikita Ishimnikov, Defenseman, Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)
6’3″ 194 pounds
41 GP 11 G 7 A 18 Pts

Blessed with great size, Ishimnikov is a roll of the dice on a raw athletic specimen that the Avalanche are hoping will use the next few years to round out his overall game. As a player, he’s kind of an interesting player type because he doesn’t fit into any classic archetypes.

While a sound and patient defender, he uses his size effectively but isn’t a physically overwhelming player despite his impressive frame at such a young age. That patience pays off as he understands how to play the game and where to go and what to do when he gets there. The skill level and ability to execute once he gets to his spot is the area where you’d like to see him really grow over the next few years.

Where Ishimnikov appears a misfit in Colorado’s system is he has almost no breakout ability to speak of. He’s not going to transition pucks with his feet at all given he’s a below-average skater (and that might even be kind) and his first pass is often lacking. He’s just not very good with the puck in his own zone.

That makes his ability in the offensive zone all the more confusing. His great size helps him generate a deadly shot, but it’s the same patience on defense that he displays on offense that frequently allows him to find shooting lanes. He’s a heady offensive player who has some decent instincts, but how do you get some of those skills to translate to the defensive zone, too?

He’s a longshot prospect to put it all together but the Avs can afford to wait and see what the big Russian kid becomes. They have time with him and he’s an intriguing athletic specimen that they hope can really round into quite a hockey player.

Round 6

187th overall – Jeremy Hanzel, Defenseman, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
6’1″ 196 pounds
66 GP 13 G 35 A 48 Pts

On the opposite end of Ishimnikov, an imposing athletic figure who needs to learn to play the game, Hanzel is the type of player whose physical attributes don’t jump out to you but his world-class work ethic and determination have allowed him to continue consistently improving.

After having been passed over in the previous two drafts, this was Hanzel’s final shot to get his named called. It did in the sixth round after Hanzel had an outstanding postseason in helping the enormously talented Seattle Thunderbirds win the WHL this season. Hanzel is a jack-of-all-trades who could (should, if we’re being honest) be on a quick path to the AHL because of his age.

A defender with good mobility, I really can’t stress enough that Hanzel’s defining characteristic is his ability to get the most out of what might be a limited skillset. In the world of “I’m just saying”, the same was said of Devon Toews once upon a time, too.

Round 7

219th overall – Maros Jedlicka, Center, HKM Zvolen (Slovakia)
6’2″ 198 pounds
39 GP 17 G 18 A 35 Pts

I wish I could really say much about Jedlicka but I honestly haven’t seen him play and don’t have anything to say about him other than what I could pick up on YouTube highlight montages (as an aside, I appreciate the work that goes into those but oh my god please turn the volume down on your Red Hot Chili Peppers song choice).

Jedlicka turns 21 in October, which is very old for a draftable prospect, and has been just shy of a point-per-game player each of the last two seasons in Slovakia’s top professional league. He made two appearances at the WJCs for Slovakia but failed to register a point in nine games.

The size is nice but I’m not going to lie to you and talk about a game that I am completely unfamiliar with. Given his age, I sure hope the Avs will be on the phone trying to get him to come to development camp next week and then have an ELC ready to go for him to make the leap to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. I’m not sure what anyone would gain out of another year in Slovakia’s pro hockey, one of the lowest-tier pro leagues in Europe.