Evan Rawal
Everyone knows the Colorado Avalanche love their overage picks. Every year, they pick at least one.
In 2022, it was Ivan Zhigalov. In 2021, it was the younger Makar brother.
This year, the Avalanche actually took two with their final picks in the draft, but the one closest to home is Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Jeremy Hanzel. The 20 year old defenseman was passed over in previous drafts, but Colorado snagged him in the 6th round on Thursday. There’s a reason for that.
He earned it.
“I’m really high on Hanzel,” a Western Hockey League scout told me. “For me, breakout retrievals and rush defense are the two most important things for defenseman and he’s great at these two things. The first time I saw him, I was so impressed by his maturity, poise, and overall game.”
As a 19/20 year old, Hanzel, who the scout described as a “late bloomer,” had the best season of his WHL career, scoring 48 points in 66 games. In the playoffs, however, he really exploded, picking up 22 points in 19 games. That performance certainly helped him.
But those Thunderbirds were a wagon. Is it hard to scout a player like this when they’re playing on a stacked team?
“Honestly, he had a huge role on Seattle D-core, so it was pretty easy,” the scout told me. “Seattle did a great job of running their top 5D, all had great roles. The eye opener for me was that he stood out even on a stacked D-core with many NHL picks, so it was a no-brainer for me that he’ll be picked this year.”
So given his age, what could his upside be?
“As a 19 YO with non high-end traits in upside for the NHL (like QB or top shutfown/physical guy), he is harder to project, but no real weakness in his game, real mature,” they said. “For me, he’s ready to play decent minutes in the AHL next year and he has NHL upside as a #4 to #7D eventually.”
That’s the big question. Hanzel could go back to the Thunderbirds as an overage player, or he could turn pro and start his career. The Eagles could use a talented young defenseman, after all.
Is another season in the WHL even necessary?
” (I) don’t think so,” the scout said. “He was so dominant in the playoffs, already so mature. Played in all situations in hard minutes already.”