The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects. Every day we will be bringing you a complete breakdown of a team’s Draft and insights into their off-season movements thus far. Following this up next month we will dive into every team’s prospect depth chart with fantasy insights and implications for the upcoming seasons. 

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Make sure to check out the Colorado Avalanche team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/colorado-avalanche/

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After a well-earned walk through Round 1 and a gutsy triumph over Minnesota in Round 2, Colorado were beaten up by Vegas to end another playoff run earlier than hoped. After being major deadline buyers, falling short of the finals stings even if there were ample injuries at play. The dramatically blown leads have led to some soul-searching in Colorado, and now a new (old) GM is shaking things up with some trades among the forward corps and some major turnover in the AHL (on ice and behind the bench). On-ice and off-ice leadership are not satisfied and the pressure is on in Colorado to put together another championship run.

As usual, the Avs did not have many early picks in the entry draft, but they did add nine new prospects to their cupboard over the draft weekend – the most they’ve restocked in several years. That’s a lot of new faces so let’s dive in:

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NHL Draft Recap

Round 2, 43rd overall – Egor Shilov, C

With their first pick of the draft, Colorado selected the QMJHL Offensive Rookie of the Year. His 82 points in 63 QMJHL games put him near the top of the league, and the flashy high-risk high-reward player has the hands and flair to justify being picked in this range. There is some uncertainty about his overall hustle and utility in his own end, and the 6’1’ pivot may ultimately be better suited for the wing. He’s a long-term project in any case; he’ll be returning to the QMJHL 2026-27, then heading to the NCAA to play for Penn State starting in fall 2027 so we won’t be seeing him in Colorado for a long time.

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Round 3, 74th overall – Beckett Hamilton, C

Next up, the Avs took one of the biggest late risers of the draft. His very productive second half landed him at a total of 62 points in 67 games, which was top-10 among draft-eligible WHL skaters. He takes very few nights off without making an impact in some way and has the two-way motor to project as a future 3rd line center. He’ll be returning to the Red Deer Rebels for 2026-27 where he will hopefully have a stronger supporting cast to test his offensive upside.

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Round 4, 126th overall – Tobias Tvrznik, G

Colorado took their first goalie of the draft in round 4. In his rookie WHL campaign, the 6-04 Tvrznik made the WHL second Western Conference All Star Team with a .913 SV%, and prior to that he played in Czechia at the U20 level managing a .926 SV%. He’s returning to the WHL for 2026-27 where hopefully he can test his limits and surpass his 29 games played from last year (his career high). Starting in fall 2027 he’s heading to the NCAA to play for Ohio; as usual with goalies, this will be a long wait before we see what Colorado has here.

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Round 4, 128th overall – Axel Elofsson, D

Another high-risk high-reward swing by Colorado, Elofsson is a flashy defenseman who put up  41 points in 32 games in the Swedish Junior League (plus 11 in 14 in the playoffs). This earned him the honor of being named U20 Nationell Best Defenseman, and he got a brief tryout at the SHL level. It’s been a good year for the youngster who also won gold with the 2026 WJC U18 squad. For his noticeable offensive however there is noticeable lack of defense at times, and his ambition can sometimes exceed his talent. He’s expected to stay in Swedish Jr. for another year to refine his instincts.

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Round 5, 140th overall – Cole Tuminaro, RD

Colorado traded up to select Tuminaro, a 19-year-old d-man noted for his PIM totals (148 in 54 games last season). He also put up 16 points in 54 games and played on the PK, but this pick was made to have a 6-04, 225lb fighter in the prospect pool. He has committed to Cornell for 2026-27 where he will have to ease up on the fighting and test his all-around utility with more ice time.

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Round 5, 152nd overall – Teddy Lechner, D

Another large blueliner at 6-03, Lecher split the 2025-26 campaign between high school hockey and the USHL. In high school he hit the scoresheet regularly, but in the USHL he managed only two points in 21 games. He wins puck battles defensively and has decent speed for his size but needs to quicken his decision-making and puck movement. He’ll be playing for Augustana University in 2027-28.

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Round 7,  195th overall – Shawn Carrier, LW

In his 3rd QMJHL campaign, Carrier hit career highs with 65 points and 75 PIMs in 61 games with Halifax. He was also second-worst on the squad with a minus-22 plus-minus, granted the team was in the bottom half of the league and no regulars on the Mooseheads were in the positives. The 19 year old has one more season ahead of him in the Q where he may once again serve as an alternate captain – GM Joe Sakic said character was a big factor in the draft for Colorado this year which may be a factor in this pick. He’s already committed to Boston University starting 2027-28.

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Round 7,   214th overall – Ondrej Ruml, LD

Ruml played in North America for the first time in 2025-26, managing 28 points in 66 OHL games for the high-scoring Ottawa 67s. He also picked up a bronze medal for Czechia in the WJC U18 tournament where he led defensemen with 6 points in 7 games. He has offensive upside and lots of runway still ahead of him.

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Round 7, 215th  overall – Alexandre Raymond, G

Finally, the Avs took another netminder by choosing 6-04 Raymond from the QMJHL. He played just 15 games but managed a .914 SV% in that time. He’s already 18 so hopefully he can earn more starts soon going forward. At this point, he’s a lottery ticket.

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Off-Season Moves

Incoming 

• Jaden Schwartz, LW (3 x 3.25M)
• Zach L’Heureux, W (2 x 875k)
• Fedor Svechkov, C/LW (2 x 1.25M)
• Noah Juulsen, RD (2 x 1.1M)
• Fabian Lysell, W (AHL)
• Georgii Merkulov, C (AHL)
• Vinnie Hinostroza, W (AHL)
• Adam Beckman, C/W (AHL)
• Dom Fensore, LD (AHL)
• Christian Wolanin, D (AHL)
• Nikita Novosyolov, G (AHL)

Outgoing 

• Valeri Nichushkin, RW
• Jack Drury, C
• Ross Colton, LW/C
• Joel Kiviranta, W
• Zakhar Bardakov, C/W
• Nick Blankenburg, RD
• Jack Ahcan, D (AHL)
• Ivan Ivan, C (AHL)
• Alex Barre-Boulet, W (AHL)
• Chase Bradley, W (AHL)
• Tye Felhaber, W (AHL)
• Jacob MacDonald, D (AHL)
• Ronnie Attard , D (AHL)
• TJ Tynan , C (AHL)
• Isak Posch, G (AHL)

Re-Signed

• Brent Burns, RD (1x 850k)
• Sam Malinski, RD (4 x 4.75M)
• Brett Kulak, LD (5 x 4.5M)

4-5 NHL lineup spots per night opened up among the off-season departures. Newcomers with experience (Schwartz, L’Heureux, Svechkov, and Juulson depending on the night) will be filling some of those gaps, but there will be space available for bubble prospects like Gavin Brindley and TJ Hughes to see NHL action, especially when injuries hit throughout the year. Newcomer Fabian Lysell is an interesting addition – his pedigree and untapped upside may earn him an NHL tryout but he likely won’t be at the top of the pecking order unless he makes a very strong first impression. If the Avs are hoping for someone to step into the 13th-forward role based primarily on energy and physicality, they like internal candidate Taylor Makar, or Nikita Prishchepov if he can stay healthy. 

The AHL lineup will be drastically different on the bench and behind it, so lots of spots are up for grabs. The AHL top powerplay unit in particular was veteran-heavy with most members departing, which will be a good thing for the fantasy stocks of names like Fabian Lysell or Sean Behrens. The most interesting update will be in the crease – top goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov will finally be testing his mettle in North America and is projected to split the net with proven AHL veteran Trent Miner who won’t be giving up his spot easily.

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In The System

Risers

Christian Humphreys, LW: Another strong OHL campaign led to a Memorial Cup and top-ten finishes in points in both the regular- and post-season. He’s lethal in the offensive zone and on the powerplay and will now give the NCAA another try in 2026-27. And it doesn’t hurt that his OHL coach is now in the organization as the AHL Eagles head coach.

Louka Cloutier, G: After an underwhelming D+1 campaign, former 5th-round-pick Cloutier surprised everyone with a dynamite NCAA debut. Now he’s the projected starter on a competitive Boston College NCAA squad. 

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Fallers

Ilya Nabokov, G: After consecutive strong years, Nabokov took a step back while adapting to a new posture/style in the net. The hype has died down as a result, but he’s still the undisputed top goalie in the system and will get his first look in North America this year, so things could turn back around quickly.

Mikhail Gulyayev, D: Scouting reports continue to say positive things about Gulyayev’s toolbox and hockey sense but his KHL squad just doesn’t seem to like him very much. His ice time and production were both down in his 3rd full season with Omsk, they played him at forward briefly, and yet both sides agreed to a two-year contract extension.

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Likely to See NHL Action This Year

Gavin Brindley

TJ Hughes

Taylor Makar

Trent Miner

Fabian Lysell

Nikita Prishchepov

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Top 20 Prospects

This section is intended to paint a picture of the prospects whose current trajectory projects them to make the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

1. Gavin Brindley
2. TJ Hughes
3. Ilya Nabokov
4. Christian Humphreys
5. Egor Shilov
6. Trent Miner
7. Fabian Lysell
8. Mikhail Gulyayev
9. Beckett Hamilton
10. Francesco Dell’Elce
11. Louka Cloutier
12. Nikita Prishchepov
13. Taylor Makar
14. Sean Behrens
15. Jake Fisher
16. Axel Elofsson
17. Alex Gagne
18. Nikita Novosyolov
19. Matthew DiMarsico
20. Georgii Merkulov

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Development Camp 

Avs Development Camp took place in July and featured Jared Bednar watching and coaching a number of young prospects and undrafted players. Most of the prospects already penciled in for the AHL this year were not present. Hockey Mountain High was in attendance and shouted out Hamilton, Fisher, and Dell’Elce as standouts in various drills.

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Final Thoughts

The high-end star power in Colorado’s lineup is as dangerous as it gets, but the supporting cast has changed a lot in the last year so new combinations and roles are up for grabs. It’s cup or bust so the leashes may be short, which can be good and bad for new faces trying to take the next steps. Combined with an injury-prone group overall, don’t expect the lineup to stay the same for too long at any point. As usual, expect upgrades at the trade deadline so prospects not contributing enough by March could be out of the picture by fantasy playoffs.

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Thanks for reading! Follow me on BlueSky @hsobo for Avalanche prospect updates all year long.

Hayden Soboleski