Adrian Dater
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The buzz started to pick up a few minutes before the official start of the first round of the NHL draft Friday night. Word was, the Chicago Blackhawks would go “off the board” somewhat and take center Kirby Dach with the third pick. The buzz turned out to be correct. That meant one thing: the best defenseman prospect in the draft was available, the only one to be projected to go on the top 10.
The Avalanche had the fourth pick, and Bowen Byram was still on the board. Not for long. They just couldn’t pass him up. That’s what everyone says about their first-round pick, right? But in this case, the Avs meant it.
Bowen Byram, who turned 18 eight days ago, who scored 26 goals and 71 points in 67 games for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League this past season with a plus-33, will soon become the answer to the trivia question: “Who was that left-handed stud young defenseman opposite that right-handed young stud defenseman, Cale Makar, in Colorado?”
While many speculated that the Avs wanted a forward with the fourth pick, Joe Sakic said definitively that Bowen Byram was the guy they would take at No. 4 if he was still on the board, no matter what.
“He plays fast, he plays poised with the puck, he plays the way we want to play,” Sakic said after the Avs took not only Byram, but center Alex Newhook, soon to enroll at Boston College, with the 16th pick. “He’s got some bite. I just love the type of player he is. If he was available, we were taking him. We had a pretty good idea before the draft that Chicago would take a forward. We didn’t know which one (Kirby Dach or Alex Turcotte). But we knew if they did that, we were going to take Bowen.”
One player who was elated Byram was taken was former Denver Grizzlies defenseman and current police officer in Westminster, Jeff Sirkka. His best friend is Byram’s father, Shawn, a former teammate in the Chicago Blackahwks’ and New York Islanders’ organizations.
“I’ve been out bear-hunting with Bowen in (British Columbia)!,” Sirkka told Colorado Hockey Now. “He’s a great kid who’s going to be a great player.”
Byram, 6-foot, 195 pounds, will have “every opportunity” to make the Avs’ roster out of training camp this fall, Sakic said. Many think Byram will be ready to make the jump to the NHL already – although 18 is very young for a D-man. But kids 18-19 years old are starting to enter the league more and more now.
“I ended up in a great spot,” Byram said. “I’m certainly happy with Colorado. They have an unbelievable team right now, so many superstars on that team. I know I’ve got my work cut out for me to make the team though. But I’m confident in myself, confident in my abilities. I know I’ve got to get better though.”
Byram is both fast, skilled and pretty physical. Here’s a good Vancouver Province story on what kind of person and player Byram is. I asked him who he thinks he compares to in the NHL already – or at least, who he looks up to -and the names Morgan Rielly and Drew Doughty were mentioned. So, the kid doesn’t lack confidence it seems clear.
Byram projects as a top-2 D-man, with Makar the obvious candidate to be the other. Some NHL experts were impressed with that prospect.
Byram probably makes one of the Avs’ veteran defensemen expendable, with Tyson Barrie the most likely candidate to be leveraged for future forward help (more on that in another story posting in a bit). Either way, the Avalanche’s biggest weakness for years – the blue line – is fast turning into an embarrassment of riches.
Said TSN hockey analyst and former GM Craig Button of Byram:
Craig Button’s Analysis
“Checks every category necessary to be a No. 1 defenceman in the NHL. Contributes significantly in all areas of the game.”
Projection: No. 1 Complete Defenceman
Comparable: Duncan Keith
Well, that wouldn’t be bad, would it?
Joe Sakic said last year that “you can’t have enough D”, and that’s the overriding reason why Byram is an Av. Yeah, sure, they would have taken Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko if they’d had the first or second pick.
But when they lost the battle of the ping-pong balls in Toronto, all eyes turned toward Byram.
“He’s the new-age defenseman in the National Hockey League,” Avalanche top amateur scout Alan Hepple said of Byram on a conference call recently. “He skates, he moves the puck. His puck management is unbelievable.”
Avs fans have a lot to look forward to with their defense for the next long while. How things can change in a couple years, right?