Evan Rawal
If you’ve been following sports long enough, you’ve probably heard the saying “pound the table” when it comes to the draft – guys that someone will fight for if a decision needs to be made on who to take at a certain spot. It’s a common saying in the NFL, but it applies to all sports, including the NHL.
Last summer, I sat down for a long interview with Jérôme Bérubé of HockeyProspect.com. He’s their Director of Scouting, and every year, they release the gold standard for NHL Draft guides, the Black Book. Their 2024 edition will unfortunately be their last when it comes to the current format, and was just released this week. As I do every year, I would highly recommend it.
Rather than taking up another hour of his time this year, I had Jérôme send me some players he would “pound the table” for at 24 if he was in charge of the Colorado Avalanche. Last year, he specifically mentioned Bradley Nadeau and Easton Cowan, who went after Colorado picked Calum Ritchie. Cowen just won OHL Player Of The Year, and Nadeau had a great Freshman season at Maine, so Bérubé knows what he’s talking about.
Here’s who he said he would go to bat for if he was in charge of the 24th pick.
Jett Luchanko
This guy screams Avalanche in my viewings. He’s got super high hockey IQ and can really skate, two things the Avalanche really value at the NHL level. Hockey Prospect have him ranked all the way up at 12, so they aren’t positive he’ll be there when the Avalanche select. However, Bérubé told me you can’t pass on him “if somehow (he) drops all the way there.” It should be noted that Hockey Prospect has him higher than anyone else, so a fall to 24 wouldn’t be impossible.
“He’s got some Nick Suzuki in his game, just a fantastic hockey brain,” Bérubé said.
Igor Chernyshov
Perhaps my favorite option at 24, but I’m not in charge of anything. It’s hard to find many publications ranking him below 20 because he’s got a little bit of everything. Size, skill, compete, and defensive acumen, it’s all there and can translate to the NHL level. His birth certificate might make him available to the Avalanche.
“Maybe the Russian factor makes him drop there,” Bérubé told me.
If he fell, I wouldn’t hesitate to take him. As of right now, he’s only under contract for one more season in the KHL. That could change any second, but he’d be a great selection.
Terik Parascak
There is no denying the production from Parascak in the OHL this past year. 105 points in 68 games as a draft eligible forward is impossible to overlook. Bérubé pointed me in the direction of their Black Book, noting that he has similarities to a former Avalanche forward.
“The weakish skating and elite hockey sense reminds me of how I felt about Ryan O’Reilly,” Mark Edwards, the founder of HockeyProspect said.
Opinions vary on Parascak, though.
“He’s a pure passenger,” one NHL scout told Elite Prospects.
Like most guys that will be available around 24, his rankings are all over the place, but if you think he can improve his skating, it might be tough to turn down someone who thinks the game as well as Parascak does.
Cole Beaudoin
If Colorado wants to add a safe, glue guy to their prospect pool, Beaudoin might be the pick. Teams raved about his interviews at the combine, and although he isn’t the most talented guy in the draft, he’s expected to go in the first round. “Warrior” and “physical specimen” are some of the terms thrown around with him. I’d have worries about an 18 year struggling to translate that to the next level when he has to play bigger and better players. He’s 6’2″, 210 pounds already, so throwing around other teenagers should be pretty easy.
The comparison with him is Boone Jenner.
Julius Miettinen
Another big center that you may not be drafting for a high ceiling, but rather his high floor. He’s a 6’3″ Finn who sits at a little over 200 pounds. Came over to the CHL and put up a point-per-game in the WHL. Bérubé compares him to a center the Avalanche see on a consistent basis in the Central Division, Joel Eriksson-Ek.
“Their games are quite similar and I think the Finn has the upper hand with his skating and playmaking in the offensive zone,” he said.