2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Colorado Avalanche

Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Success doesn’t come cheap.

The Colorado Avalanche have one of the absolute worst prospect pools in the NHL, which only improved thanks to two solid late picks in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Prior to selecting Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev, the Avalanche found themselves potentially without a real potential top-six forward, and maybe just one potential top-four defenseman in Sean Behrens.

Luckily, forward Nikolai Kovalenko had quite the season to truly emerge as someone worth watching. But after that, they’re lacking. They seem to really like going the NCAA route, with Sam Malinski, Jason Polin and Ondrej Pavel being solid free agent options. Behrens from the University of Denver is one of the team’s top prospects, while Colby Ambrosio could be an option down the line. Still, there’s a good chance that maybe only three to four of these players become NHLers – a stark difference compared to Chicago, who has a stacked depth chart.

This is all by design, too. The Avalanche had just two picks in 2022 – 193rd and 225th – and just 16 over the past four years. That’s not a lot of capital, but that’s because they’re busy trading the picks for other assets. And, in case you forgot, it seemed to work out fine in 2022. After years of finishing near the bottom and landing some five-star prospects, their prospect pool is starting to feel the effects of success.

They have just four picks again in 2024, and if they want to stay competitive, you can expect to see a few of those moved, too.

Biggest Strength

After adding Gulyayev at the draft and the continued progress of Behrens, the Avalanche now have two stout left-handed defenders in the system. Both should factor into the team’s long-term plans, and with Cale Makar and Bowen Byram leading the right side, with Devon Toews holding the fort down on the left side, both could be interesting options.

Biggest Weakness

The easy answer is game-changers that can actually play an important role in the NHL. Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev are solid bets to become NHLers and play a decent enough role. Gulyayev will have some competition, but he’s a few years away, anyway. Scouts would like to see Kovalenko replicate his success from last year in the KHL, and Behrens definitely could be a complementary piece on the blueline one day. After that? There’s a few longshots that’ll fit more in a depth role.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*Calum Ritchie (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)*

Grade: C-

1. Calum Ritchie, C, 18 (Oshawa, OHL)

Drafted: No. 27, first round in 2023

The Avalanche got a nice snag in the first round in June, taking Ritchie with their first pick. Ritchie didn’t blow the doors off in 2022-23, but there was only so much he could do with a low-scoring Generals squad. He did become a more dominant two-way threat, though. He decimated the Hlinka Gretzky with Canada before the season started before finishing off with a good U-18 World Championship despite dealing with a shoulder injury. He’s going to be a dependable two-way center in the NHL, and perhaps a long-term replacement for Alex Newhook.

2. Mikhail Gulyayev, D, 18 (Omsk, KHL)

Drafted: No. 31, first round in 2023

Gulyayev had confidence to burn in the MHL last year, looking like a man among kids. He had mixed results playing against men, but we typically don’t see young defenders getting much ice time, anyways. Still, there’s enough about Gulyayev’s game that makes him look like a future top-four defenseman – mainly, how he uses the open space to his advantage and is fairly quick in bursts. He’ll bring value as a puck-moving transitional defender and be a nice complement to their already steady defensive core.

*Nikolai Kovalenko (Grigory Sokolov/KHL)*

3. Nikolai Kovalenko, RW, 23 (Novgorod, KHL)

Drafted: No. 171, sixth round in 2018

Fresh off signing his first NHL contract, it won’t be long until Kovalenko will be challenging for a roster spot. He had an outstanding season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, recording 21 goals and 54 points in 56 games. Considering his best before that was 22 points, that’s quite a glow-up. He’ll spend another year in the KHL before a hopeful move to Colorado for 2024-25. If he can build upon last year’s success, he might be able to squeeze into a middle-six scoring role immediately.

4. Sean Behrens, D, 20 (University of Denver, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 61, second round in 2021

Behrens can be quite lethal with the puck, burning you with his slick passing and puckhandling traits. He’s not a big defenseman at 5-foot-10, but he plays heavy minutes with Denver and his agility never seems to waver. When it comes to play, Behrens is consistent, with his effort level being strong almost every single night. He doesn’t pinch in too much, and can be a bit passive, but he still has the makings of a solid, pass-first, top-four defenseman that could perhaps make the jump after another year in college.

5. Oskar Olausson, LW/C, 20 (Colorado, AHL)

Drafted: No. 28, first round in 2021

Olausson made his NHL debut with the Avalanche this year, playing 7:02 against Vancouver back in November. It was a bit of a difficult first year of pro action in North America with just 11 goals and 20 points in 63 AHL games, including just three points in the final 20 games. It’s common for growing pains after jumping to the AHL, but he did play against men in the SHL, so it wasn’t crazy to think he’d perform a bit better. The raw talent is there, and he’s an excellent shooter, so there’s still a lot to like. And, of course, he’s just 20. Patience.

Dec 15, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Jean-Luc Foudy (93) in the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

6. Jean-Luc Foudy, C, 21 (Colorado, AHL)

Drafted: No. 75, third round in 2020

Foudy got into his first NHL action last season but failed to record a point in nine games. Foudy is one of the best skaters in the AHL, and he used it to his advantage by snagging a solid 36 points in 46 games. Due to the pandemic, Foudy went straight to pro hockey with the Eagles in 2020-21 and never looked back at junior, but a proper final year in the OHL would have been beneficial. Regardless, we’ve seen solid progress in his game so far, and he’s trending upward.

7. Justus Annunen, G, 23 (Colorado, AHL)

Drafted: No. 64, third round in 2018

At 6-foot-4, there’s a lot to like about Annunen’s frame. He also has a couple of NHL games under his belt, with a 2-1-1 record overall over the past two years. His regular season numbers were the best of his career, and even GM Chris McFarland suggested that Annunen could make the jump to the NHL sooner rather than later. We’ll see if he can knock out Pavel Francouz, but another year with the Eagles wouldn’t hurt.

8. Colby Ambrosio, C, 20 (Boston College, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 118, fourth round in 2020

Ambrosio has been a consistent scorer in recent years, registering 58 points in 98 games over three years with Boston College. The 20-year-old tracks pucks well, can play aggressively and his skating – in terms of speed an on the transition – is solid. Ambrosio is only 5-foot-9, which doesn’t help, but he could still carve a role as an energy forward if the Avs can find space for him a couple years from now.

9. Sam Malinski, D, 24 (Colorado, AHL)

Undrafted, free agent signing in 2023

A prominent college UFA signing, Malinski turned pro to close the season and thrived immediately. He had three goals and five points in seven regular season games and another five assists in seven postseason contests with the Eagles to finish things off strong. An offensive defender, it’ll be interesting to see if Malinski can fight his way into the lineup this year.

*Ivan Zhigalov (Terry Wilson/OHL Images)*

10. Ivan Zhigalov, G, 20 (Yunost Minsk, Belarus)

Drafted: No. 225, seventh round in 2022

Taken with the very last pick in 2022, Zhigalov has had an interesting career so far. He was passed over in 2021, but was selected after a solid year with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix in 2021-22. Zhigalov was selected in the CHL Import Draft a second time, landing in Kingston last year, where he started the bulk of the games. He could only do so much for a team with so much turnover, but he had multiple flashes where he stole the spotlight. The 6-foot-3 goaltender turned heads at Colorado’s development camp, and now he’s set to become Yunost Minsk’s starter over in Belarus next year.

Other notables: Jason Polin, RW (24), Trent Miner, G (22), Sampo Ranta, LW, (23), Alex Beaucage, RW, 22 (Colorado, AHL), Ondrej Pavel, C (22), Taylor Makar, LW (22), Matt Stienburg, C (22), Chris Romaine, D (19), Andrei Buyalsky, C (22)

Previous 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool instalments

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