Bowen Byram

August 2022 – Bowen Byram was a mainstay during the Avs’ Stanley Cup run, and has officially graduated from prospect status. He may still be an injury risk, but he survived the NHL playoffs which bodes well.

April 2022 – After a short AHL conditioning stint, Byram has returned to the Avalanche. He looked like his old self in his first game back, but as with all players with a long injury history, the only thing that can earn fantasy owners’ trust is time. He remains a top-tier young fantasy asset in multi-cat leagues when healthy. Hayden Soboleski

March 2022 – Byram has been away from the team on personal leave for several weeks with no timetable for his return. He has been skating independently with skills coaches but has not yet joined his teammates. The first-place Avs have no reason to rush the stud blueliner back and long-term health will be top priority so fantasy owners will require patience. His name has appeared in trade rumours which have been swiftly denied by the team. Hayden Soboleski

December 2021 – Byram has put up 9 points in 13 contests while averaging 2 SOG, 1 hit, and 1 block per game in just under 20 minutes of ice per night. He is primed to become a multi-category stud, but his health remains a huge question mark. He is currently injured for the second time of the 2021-22 season – both upper-body and presumed to be concussion-related. The Avs have heated up and have no need to rush his recovery, so owners may have to deal with the team giving the player extra time out of the lineup to ensure his long-term health isn’t being sacrificed. Hayden Soboleski

October 2021 – Just as we warned, Byram has been a major factor for the Avalanche to start the 2021-22 campaign. His 3 points in 4 games so far have all come at even strength, and after starting the ear playing with Erik Johnson, he is currently playing alongside Cale Makar. With 1 SOG and 2 hits per game he’s bringing good peripheral stats too for the multi-category fantasy leagues. he is riding a sky-high PDO so the point total won’t stay at this pace all year, but this is a good glimpse at the young defenseman’s upside. Hayden Soboleski

September 2021 – Byram has been tearing up development camp and training camp after fully recovering from time on Covid protocols and his multiple injuries racked up as a rookie. His fearlessness certainly doesn’t help his body, but it’s a big part of his success and a do-it-all blueliners so don’t expect major changes. If he can avoid the smaller dings as a sophomore, he will see good minutes with the departure of Graves and may surprise a lot of impatient owners who may have written him off. Do not get caught sleeping on the former 4th-overall pick. Hayden Soboleski

April 2021 – After playing well in bigger minutes than expected, Byram has missed considerable time due to injuries, first with a short-term lower-body and most recently over 2 weeks with an upper-body ailment (possibly the result of a hit to the head he took in his last game played). Byram doesn’t shy away from physical play and as a result he will be prone to wear and tear, but its never great to see extended periods without skating. Despite his time on your IR list, he is likely already a worthy own in banger and multi-cat leagues thanks to his PIM/game, SOG/game, and just under 2 hits/game rates. Hayden Soboleski

February 2021 – Bowen Byram has arrived in the NHL. He is 8 games in, meaning he is past the threshold of burning a year of his ELC, and the team moved out Ian Cole in part to make sure he was a permanent member of the blueline rotation (it was also for salary reasons). He is already 4th among the corps in even-strength aTOI and is seeing some time on both special team units thank to Toews (PP2) being injured and Graves (PK) being in the doghouse. Despite putting roughly 2 SOG on net per game the offense hasn’t come yet, but the chances are there and he is gaining confidence every game. He is here to stay and rounds out a lethal Avs top-4. Hayden Soboleski

January 2021 – Byram has officially been added to Colorado’s ‘taxi squad’ after quarantining and has been skating with veteran Erik Johnson. He should rotate into the NHL group soon, but competition is stiff on this blueline  so it would likely take an injury for him to see full-time usage right away. Still, he will provide multi-cat value when used and will only get better as he gets familiar with this new level of play. Expect a quick learning curve. Hayden Soboleski

January 2021 – Byram has won silver with Team Canada at the 2021 WJC. This was a disappointing loss for the captain (he took over and shared the ‘C’ when Dach got injured), but he was named Canada’s top player of the final game and among the top-three in the tournament. He was all over the ice, creating offense seemingly every shift. At the same time, he was part of a defensive corps that didn’t allow a single even-strength goal against until the gold-medal game, and he played more minutes than anyone else on the squad. His play has poolies drooling over Colorado’s blueline and made it clear that he is ready to join it. He will now join the Avs and begin quarantining in preparation for an NHL tryout. Hayden Soboleski

December 2020 – Byram will wear an ‘A’ for Team Canada at the upcoming WJC and has been a top-pairing staple throughout camp. We will be seeing a lot of him this tournament so expect a fantasy stock rise. Hayden Soboleski

December 2020 – He hasn’t played any 2020-21 hockey yet thanks to the WHL and NHL pauses, but Byram has unsurprisingly been included on Team Canada’s preliminary WJC roster. He has been a top blueliner for the U20 team for the last two years and will serve a key role once again. His outstanding skating and confident puck movement stood out among his peers in the scrimmage games between Team Canada invitees in November. Hayden Soboleski

July 2020 – Byram will be a member of the Avalanche’s extended roster for the 2020 pandemic-adjusted playoffs. He will likely be there just to gain professional experience and take advantage of the training staff present, but would be a perfectly valid fill-in candidate should injuries occur on the back end over the tournament. Hayden Soboleski

April 2020 – Byram has once again been named a WHL All-Star at the conclusion of his 2019-20 season. Despite a relatively slow start, he finished the campaign with 52 points in 50 games – boosted by a monster month with 24 points in 12 games. When he is at the top of his game, he is easily playing at an NHL level. Due to his age, his only options for 2020-21 (barring an unorthodox Euro-route) are either back to the WHL (which he is too good for) or jump straight to the NHL (where he wouldn’t be overly high on the depth chart depending on who is retained this off-season). It’s hard not to imagine Colorado making room for him on the Avs blueline when hockey does return, but owners should understand the risk is still there. Whether he arrives later this calendar year or the one after that, he remains a top-tier prospect own. Hayden Soboleski

January 2020 – Byram has won gold with Team Canada at the WJC. His play was solid but unspectacular throughout; he put up just 2 points in the tournament but was among the team’s TOI leaders in most games. He may have been able to do more to boost his fantasy stock, but he was also ill for a portion of the tournament which could have been limiting him. Either way, there’s nothing wrong with looking just pretty good on a gold medal team. Hayden Soboleski

December 2019 -Surprising no one, Byram has been invited to the Team Canada WJC Selection Camp. Barring an injury, he figures to be a safe bet for Canada’s top-four (likely top-two) defensive group this winter. He has already impressed in tournament format this year, as he was a bright spot for Team WHL in the CIBC Series last month. This kid continues to do it all – expect a fantasy stock spike after the WJC. Hayden Soboleski

November 2019 – Byram will represent the WHL in the upcoming CIBC CHL/Russia Series, presumably as one of the forefront defenders. He continues to produce potent offense while logging huge minutes with the Giants. Hayden Soboleski

September 2019 – Despite being touted as one of the most NHL-ready prospects of the draft, Byram has been returned to the WHL Giants for the 2019-20 season. This isn’t a knock on the talented blueliner – the Avs just have too many good options on the back end and he isn’t eligible to play in the AHL where he belongs. He showed some typical jitters and rookie mistakes in pre-season, but also showed off the efficient skating that lets him play big minutes. He remains a top fantasy prospect so don’t let this assignment deter you. Hayden Soboleski

July 2019 – Surprising no one, Byram has signed an ELC with the Avalanche. He will push for an NHL role this fall, but the depth may force him back to the WHL for even more seasoning. Hayden Soboleski

June 2019 – As predicted in many mock drafts, the Avalanche selected Bowen Byram with the 4th-overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. This was a best-player-available pick, as he will now join an organization with a plethora of top-end young blueliners. He may be ready for limited NHL duties already, but unless something gives on a crowded roster its a safe bet to say he’ll wait until 2020 to join the club. This isn’t a knock on the player – he will become even more dominant and prepare to blow the league away on a future Byram-Makar pairing. Hayden Soboleski

June 2019 – Byram was the first defender to lead the WHL playoffs in scoring. The 17-year-old did all he could to help his team to the league Championship but fell in seven games to Prince Albert. He concluded the post-season with eight goals and 26 points in 22 contests. He was named a WHL First Team All-Star. Byram will be the first defender off of the board this June and has a fighting chance of starting 2019-20 in the NHL. Cam Robinson

June 2019 – Byram was officially measured at 6-foot-0.75 and 195 pounds at the NHL Draft Combine.  Jokke Nevalainen

November 2018 – The Vancouver Giants’ defender is off to a terrific start to his draft-eligible campaign. He began the year with a gold medal at the Hlinka U18 tournament where he produced four points in five games. Thus far in the WHL, he’s produced five goals and 14 points in 18 games. The mobile blueliner loves to engage offensively and has the ability to embarrass opposing wingers as he dangles with impunity on the blue line. He owns a big shot but can also saucer it through traffic. A tremendous skater with a big upside. Cam Robinson