Sights and Sounds: NHL Draft Day Two
Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images
It was a nine-pick haul featuring several goaltenders and USHL players. After a quiet first day of the NHL draft in which the Colorado Avalanche traded out of the first round, they were back with a vengeance on day two making a total of nine picks and added an array of new prospects to the system.
KHL goaltender Ilya Nabokov headlines the 2024 draft class selected at 38th overall and was the first netminder taken in this draft. He was an idea of ours highlighted in the draft plan. While the thinking was Nabokov could be a target in the fourth round the truth is he could have gone off the board at any time after his KHL playoff MVP performance and the Avalanche were wise to strike in the second round. As a 21-year old Nabokov could come to North America as soon as within a year and possibly take Alexandar Georgiev’s spot in perhaps a tandem with an experienced backup.
Avalanche take William Zellers at 76 pic.twitter.com/jDyzDFwgZx— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) June 29, 2024
Colorado had another pick in the trade down to put them in the third round but they too traded that selection down to pick up yet another dart throw with the last pick in the fifth round, officially the 71st for 76th and 161st.
Finally the Avalanche made their pick and it was for first of their selection in attendance at The Sphere. Third round round pick William Zellers was available to put on the burgundy and blue jersey before meeting the media. Zellers would be the first of many selections made by Colorado either from the USHL or planning to attend next season. Zellers will be playing for Green Bay in the USHL before going to North Dakota.
Meet William pic.twitter.com/dfBi2XdOJz— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) June 29, 2024
The fifth round was another spot for goaltenders with two picks nearly back-to-back and the Avalanche went to that position of need both times to find a couple longer term prospects. While 137th overall Ivan Yunin was not in attendance at the draft, 132nd Louka Cloutier was able to hear his name called. Cloutier is from Quebec but is on the NCAA path as he plays for the Chicago Steel in the USHL and is currently committed to Omaha in the NCAA.
Meet Louka pic.twitter.com/88iW2zMmyF— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) June 29, 2024
Those are just a few of the names we got to know among the nine new Avlanche prospects selected. A full recap of the day’s picks can be found below.
Takeaways
It is interesting there were several themes with this massive draft class for the Avalanche. The first is a full restocking of the goaltender pipeline with three selections including draft headliner Nabokov. Considering prior to this year only one goalie had been drafted into the organization since 2019 this was a big area of need.
One strategy we are familiar with is the mining of the USHL for NCAA path prospects. Many of them will not be attending college right away so it pushes their signing timeline to turn pro out five or six years, which is probably what the organization prefers although they don’t choose to sign many of them.
After several lean draft classes the Avalanche focused on quantity with nine picks at their disposal. They did sacrifice a bit of quality, however, with no first rounder and investing their top pick in an older goaltender. It’s the kind of strategic gamble that may pay large dividends but it also leaves Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev as the organization’s top prospects at forward and defense respectively.
That is the end of the #goavsgo draft making 9 ! Selections in total after two trade down moves. Heavy emphasis on goaltending and the USHL. We should see many of the new prospects at development camp next week. Thank you for following along!— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) June 29, 2024
The whole event at the Sphere was a pleasure to attend and the venue handled all the crowds of different personnel well. It’s hard to believe the NHL doesn’t want this type of showcase moving forward and perhaps some of the changes could be reimagined. It was truly a memorable experience and I’m sure the draftees feel the same way too.
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