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NHL Mock Draft Roundup: Who Are The Avalanche Forecasted To Select?

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The 2023 NHL Draft is a little over a month away, and with most of the first round locked in, mock drafts are starting to pop up more and more. The NHL scouting combine takes place at the start of June in Buffalo, New York, and from there, draft lists will be finalized by teams.

Whether or not the Colorado Avalanche actually keep their pick at 27th overall is another question altogether, but as of right now, they have the pick, so we’re going to assume they do. At CHN, we’ll be getting going on draft content soon, but for now, here’s a roundup of some mock drafts that are out there.

It should come as no surprise that there’s no real consensus at the end of the first round. Drafts usually go that way, and each teams draft board is going to be remarkably different. Colorado’s draft board is likely to look a lot different compared to another teams, just based on what they prioritize for their organization. For the Avalanche, their prospect system is near the bottom of the league, if not the worst, so best player available is the only thing that makes sense.

Let’s get into it.

Montreal Hockey Now – C Calum Ritchie

As they look to rebuild their organizational centre depth, the Colorado Avalanche scoop up skilled centre Calum Ritchie. The lanky centre has the size and shooting ability to be a middle-six centre down the line, with the upside of a possible second-line centre.

Here’s a scouting profile on Ritchie. The 18 year old Ritchie put up 59 points in 59 games for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, and followed it up with six points in five playoff games.

The Athletic – W Eduard Sale

If Sale makes it this far in the draft, he’ll likely be the most talented player on the board. There seem to be no questions about his talent, but rather questions about his consistency. For a team lacking talent in their system, taking a swing on a really talented player at the end of the first isn’t a bad idea. The Avalanche have played it safe in the mid to late first in the past, and it hasn’t worked out (Kaut, Bleackley).

Here’s a video with a breakdown of Sale’s game.

The Sporting News – LW Daniil But

A large 6’5″ Russian winger who spent most of the season in the MHL, with a 15 game taste of the KHL. As you can tell from the video below, he’s enormous with a huge reach. He is currently under contract with his KHL parent team Lokomotiv until the end of the 2024-25 season.

The Hockey Writers – D Oliver Bonk

I will admit to being intrigued by this one, but that’s only because of the name. His father is Radek Bonk, who was the third overall pick in the 1994 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators. As someone who followed most of Bonk’s career, I now feel old.

The right handed defenseman picked up 40 points in 67 games, and seems to be ranked anywhere between the end of the first and second round. From what I’ve seen from him, there isn’t a ton of flash or offense to his game, but rather steady play in his own end. A pick like this wouldn’t exactly be swinging for the fences, but right-shot defensemen are typically coveted.

My NHL Draft – C/W Charlie Stramel

Another large forward, coming in at 6’3″, who has already completed his freshman year at Wisconsin University. His numbers weren’t anything to write home about, with 12 points in 33 games, and he’s one of the older players in the draft. His rankings are all over the place, but TSN’s Bob McKenzie had him 21st on his mid-season list.

Check out this shift-by-shift video of him, taken from the World Junior Championships last August.

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