This will be a pretty short article because Colorado has not had much draft capital in the last few years. However, Calum Ritchie, the Avalanche is first-round selection from the previous season, is a very good potential.
Key addition: Ilya Nabokov
Key graduate: Bowen Byram
2023 ranking: 25
2024 NHL Draft grade: C
Player Ranking
1. Calum Ritchie, C
January 21, 2005 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds | Shoots right
Drafted: No. 27 in 2023
Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player
Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Analysis: After recovering from an injury, Ritchie was among the OHL’s greatest players this season. His inclusion in the lineup helped Oshawa win a ton of games. With his explosive offensive skills and 6-foot-2 stature and NHL speed, he has a highly promising pro future. He can open up shifts and execute a ton of intricate offensive plays while evading opponents and passing to teammates. Ritchie’s play on the perimeter might be a little excessive at times, but overall, his effort this season is greater than it was last. In the NHL, he is a top-six center prospect.
2. Mikhail Gulyayev, D
April 26, 2005 | 5-foot-10 | 172 pounds | Shoots left
Drafted: No. 31 in 2023
Tier: Middle of the lineup player
Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Analysis: Despite not playing much for either special team this season, Gulyayev was a regular on a strong KHL club. Despite not having any power-play time, he still scored 12 points. He is a skilled skater who can move pucks up ice with ease. His hands and vision are excellent, and he can generate opportunities both off the rush and from the blue line. Although he is quite offensive, the NHL is concerned about his 5-foot-10 physique. Being a non-physical player, he must possess exceptional skill with the puck in order to secure a regular NHL role. I believe he projects directly onto that bubble.
3. Ilya Nabokov, G
March 27, 2003 | 6 feet | 179 pounds | Catches left
Drafted: No. 38 in 2024
Tier: Projected to play NHL games
Skating: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Analysis: Nabokov has had an incredible season. In his fourth draft-eligible season, he won the MVP of the playoffs after excelling as a top goalie in the KHL at the age of 20. Nabokov is a very intelligent goalie. He rarely appears out of place and has excellent play anticipation. He moves a lot to make saves, but even in those situations he does it with efficiency and is ready for shots. His quickness is excellent, but it is not the Juuse Saros kind of quick-twitch you would like to see given his frame. Despite his stellar play against professionals this season, there are concerns about how his size will affect his game in the NHL and whether he can sustain this level of play going forward.
Has a chance to play
Oskar Olausson is a good-sized winger with excellent puck handling and skating skills as well as a long-range shot. Because of his shot, he poses a threat on power plays, but he rarely makes plays and spends too much time outside. Sean Behrens is a brilliant defenseman who excels in competition and was a standout player in college. But for his size, he is only an average skater. Last season, William Zellers excelled as a prep hockey player. Despite his small stature, he has excellent skating ability, hockey awareness, and puck abilities.
Sean Behrens, D
March 31, 2003 | 5-foot-10 | 177 pounds | Shoots left | Drafted: No. 61 in 2021
Oskar Olausson, RW
November 10, 2002 | 6-foot-1 | 180 pounds | Shoots left | Drafted: No. 28 in 2021
Saige Weinstein, D
May 30, 2005 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds | Shoots left | Free Agent
William Zellers, LW
April 4, 2006 | 5-foot-10 | 167 pounds | Shoots left | Drafted: No. 76 in 2024
* Listed in alphabetical order
Player eligibility: All skaters who are 22 years old or younger as of Sept. 15, 2024, regardless of how many NHL games they’ve played, are eligible. Player heights and weights are taken from the NHL.
Tool grades: Based on a six-point rating system, tool grades are determined with consideration for how each attribute would be rated in the NHL (bad, below-average, average, above-average, high-end, and elite). On this scale, “average” denotes the tool’s projection of the NHL average; this is a compliment rather than a critique. Grades are assigned for skating, puck skills, hockey awareness, and competition for each predicted NHL player. Only shots that are noticeably good or bad are included in the shot grades.
Definitions of the tiers: A player’s tier is about where they project to be in an average NHL lineup.
(Photo of Calum Ritchie: Brandon Taylor / OHL Images)
