5 Avalanche First-Round Draft Targets

While the draft order and date of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft are still unknowns, we know that the Colorado Avalanche only have four picks in the top 151 because of player moves made during the previous two seasons.

The Avs traded their 2020 second-round pick to the Washington Capitals last summer in the Andre Burakovsky trade, lost its third-rounder to Florida when it acquired Derrick Brassard in February 2019 (ouch), but did obtain the Toronto Maple Leafs’ third-rounder in the Nazem Kadri trade. 

If the NHL cancels the 2019-20 season, then the Avalanche will hold No. 27 in each round, so we’ll use that positioning in this article. To properly suggest interesting 2020 draft targets, it’s essential to understand the current state of the Avalanche’s NHL roster, its minor leaguers, and college players. If there’s one advantage for only having four picks in the first five rounds, it’s that general manager Joe Sakic has a nearly complete NHL roster and balanced farm system. 

The Avalanche should enter camp with all NHL players having healed from their 2019-20 injuries. The front office has four important decisions to make with regards to their free agents: unrestricted free agent Vlad Namestnikov will likely sign elsewhere this summer and fellow UFA Nikita Zadorov may leave as well. RFAs Ryan Graves and Andre Burakovsky should return with contract extensions.  

It’s expected that top prospect and the No. 4 overall selection in the 2019 Entry Draft, Bowen Byram, will ascend to the senior club next season, and there were eight AHL players that had cups of coffee with the big-league club. Some of these AHL players are within two years of seriously challenging for NHL roster spots, most notably D Connor Timmins, RW Martin Kaut, and RW T.J. Tynan. While he’s played the entire 2019-20 season in the minors, C Shane Bowers is also expected to push for an Avalanche job in training camp.  

There are two ECHL scorers with the Utah Grizzlies who will most likely play a full season in the AHL in 2020-21: C/LW Griffen Molino (though not considered a prospect due to being 26 years old already) and 22-year-old C Josh Dickinson. Both players averaged over a point-per-game this season for the Grizzlies in the ECHL. 22-year-old LW Ty Lewis may make the jump as well as he led the Grizzlies in scoring (51 points in 44 games) after Molino and Dickinson ended their seasons in the AHL. 

In the college ranks, Boston College teammates and 2019 draft picks Alex Newhook and D Drew Helleson are returning for their sophomore seasons in 2020-21. Newhook won a slew of national Freshman of the Year awards this season. Finnish power forward prospect Sampo Ranta made strides this season learning the North American game, and 21-year old power forward collegian Cam Morrison will graduate this spring from the University of Notre Dame with hopes to begin his career in the Avalanche system next season. (from ‘Gophers forward Sampo Ranta developing into a force as sophomore,’ Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 01/24/2020)

In the 2019-20 USHL season, Brisson was second in scoring (59 points in 45 games). The University of Michigan gets his services next season, where he should compete for the same National Freshman of the Year awards that Alex Newhook won this season.  

Power Forwards

Son of former NHLer, Yanic Perreault, Jacob Perreault is a high-caliber offensive prospect who led Sarnia in 2019-20 with 39 goals, including 15 on the power-play. Being the son of a good NHL veteran is not nearly enough to get a player drafted in the first round, but Perrault has legitimate skills. 

He plays bigger than his size, has plus skating ability and elite shooting accuracy and needs major improvement in his off-the-puck play, especially in the defensive zone. He’s such an offensive wizard with a nose for the goal that he could be a steal at No. 27 for the Avalanche if he develops into a two-way player.  

While the 2020 CHL/NHL Top Prospects game was headlined by top-ranked skaters Alex Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield, it was Tyson Foerster who was named Player of the Game for Team White (captained by Lafreniere). Following the OHL this season it was easy to see why he performed so well in the game.

Foerster led Barrie in scoring with 80 points in 62 games, improving dramatically over his 2018-19 totals of 23 points in 64 games. He’s developing as a cerebral player with excellent stickwork and fundamentals. Though not flashy or elite in any way, once he fills out his 6-foot-4 power forward frame, he’s going to be a high-level dangerous playmaker.