Avalanche 2023 NHL draft class: Recap, scouting reports, grades

Round 1, No. 27: Calum Ritchie, C, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Vitals

• Birthday — Jan. 21, 2005
• Age — 18
• Birthplace — Brampton, Ontario
• Height — 6-foot-2
• Weight — 187 pounds
• Shoots — Right

Production

• 2022–23 (OHL): 59 games, 24 goals, 35 assists, 59 points
• 2022–23 Postseason: Five games, two goals, four assists, six points
• U18 Worlds: Seven games, three goals, six assists, nine points

Ranking

• Ranked 21 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
• Ranked 14 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
• Ranked 26 by FCHOCKEY
• Ranked 18 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
• Ranked 13 by DAILY FACEOFF
• Ranked 27 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
• Ranked 21 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
• Ranked 24 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
• Ranked 13 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
• Ranked 13 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
• Ranked 29 by SPORTSNET
• Ranked 22 by HPR/SHANE MALLOY
• Ranked 25 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
• Ranked 26 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
• Ranked 14 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
• Ranked 33 by SMAHT SCOUTING

Quotables

Ritchie’s hockey sense is his defining quality – his separating skill. In the offensive zone, that means supporting the puck carrier, connecting plays, anticipating gaps in coverage, identifying where to position himself off-puck, and controlling his skating to arrive in the right places at the right time. Even when his team does lose possession, Ritchie has what it takes to win it back, leveraging himself against opponents physically, cutting through their hands, and putting his team right back on the attack – EliteProspects

He’s got quick hands (he’s prolific on breakaways/in the shootout), a dangerous curl-and-drag wrister, decent cleverness to his game as a passer (whether through seams or often blind), slick skill in traffic and out wide sliding pucks under sticks and rotating through coverage or past checks for a player his size, and a knack for finessing pucks into spots for himself or his linemates to skate onto. He has also begun to fill out his frame, which has helped turn him into a diligent, relied-upon two-way player off the puck. – Scott Wheeler/The Athletic

Ritchie didn’t score a ton this year, but there was only so much he could do with a low-scoring Generals squad. He did become a more dominant two-way threat, though. He decimated the Hlinka Gretzky with Canada before the season started before finishing off with a good U-18 World Championship despite dealing with a shoulder injury. He’s going to be a dependable two-way center in the NHL, and one that I think we’ll look back at as being one of the more effective players from this class. – Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

Final thoughts

Several scouts had Calum Ritchie ranked as high as No. 13 overall on their draft boards, so the fact that he landed in the Avs’ laps at No. 27 is a major win for this franchise. Despite playing hurt for most of the 2022–23 season, Ritchie proved to be a legitimate scoring threat with the puck on his stick and featured a strong hockey sense of positional awareness away from the puck. He gives Colorado another goal scorer down the middle and future second-line center behind Nathan MacKinnon one day.

Grade: A

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Round 1, No. 31: Mikhail Gulyayev, D, Avangard Omsk (KHL)

Vitals

• Birthday — April 26, 2005
• Age — 18
• Birthplace — Novosibirsk, Russia
• Height — 5-foot-10
• Weight — 172 pounds
• Shoots — Left

Production

• 2022–23 (MHL): 22 games, two goals, 23 assists, 25 points
• 2022–23 (KHL): 13 games, zero goals, one assist, one point

Ranking

• Ranked 27 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING
• Ranked 30 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM
• Ranked 16 by FCHOCKEY
• Ranked 33 by FLOHOCKEY/CHRIS PETERS
• Ranked 25 by DAILY FACEOFF
• Ranked 28 by THE HOCKEY NEWS
• Ranked 23 by TSN/BOB McKENZIE
• Ranked 19 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
• Ranked 41 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON
• Ranked 10 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)
• Ranked 23 by SPORTSNET
• Ranked 28 by HPR/SHANE MALLOY
• Ranked 42 by RECRUIT SCOUTING
• Ranked 30 by DOBBERPROSPECTS
• Ranked 25 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY
• Ranked 16 by SMAHT SCOUTING

Quotables

Man, can Mikhail Gulyayev fly out there. You give him an inch, and he’s sprinted a mile past you with about as effortless and clean a stride as you’ve ever seen. It’s the defining characteristic of his game; the foundation on which every other part rests. Every bit as comfortable a defensive skater, Gulyayev gaps up early, often attacks puck carriers on an arc, and always takes away the middle of the ice with his stick. – Elite Prospects

Gulyayev put together the most productive 16-year-old season by a defenceman in the MHL’s modern history (13 seasons dating back to 2009) when he posted 35 points in 54 games last year, regularly playing 20 minutes per game in a league famous for typically relying on older players. He did that after notching five points in five games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup two years ago as a young 16-year-old, too. This year, though he struggled defensively in his limited minutes in the KHL, he was absolutely dominant in the MHL and looked quite comfortable in the second-tier VHL. – Scott Wheeler/The Athletic

This year’s ‘All Gas, No Brakes’ defender is Russian blueliner Mikhail Gulyayev. He skates like the wind, has creativity with the puck in the offensive zone, and can run a power play with a high rate of success thanks to his mobility, skill, and cerebral offensive mind. His defensive game can be a bit of a mess at times, especially against bigger, stronger players, but Gulyayev has tools that can mitigate that weakness if developed properly. Gulyayev has the mobility to evade forecheckers on the breakout, but he has faltered under pressure at times. Gulyayev is a swing on upside with a realization that the NHL gets faster and more skilled every year. – Tony Ferrari/The Hockey News

Final thoughts

After parting with their recently-acquired No. 37 overall pick in the Ross Colton trade on Wednesday, part of me was hoping that the Avalanche would move down from the No. 31 spot in the first round to acquire a couple more draft picks.

Instead, Colorado used the pick to grab a dynamic defenseman in Mikhail Gulyayev, with some media outlets having him ranked as No. 16 overall on their draft boards. The Avs get a puck-moving defenseman, one who plays at a high-tempo that will fit right into Colorado’s style of play.

One wrinkle that came to light shortly after the pick is that Gulyayev is signed in Russia until 2025. I will be the first to admit that I am not entirely sure if he can get out of that contract, but the Avs are also incredibly deep along the blue line.

Defensemen typically require a little bit longer to develop, so it is not the worst thing in the world to allow Gulyayev to continue his development playing against men in the KHL, a league he struggled in defensively in 2022–23.

Grade: A

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Round 5, No. 155: Nikita Ishimnikov, D, Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL)

Vitals

• Birthday — April 21, 2005
• Age — 18
• Birthplace — Snezhinsk, Russia
• Height — 6-foot-3
• Weight — 194 pounds
• Shoots — Right

Production

• 2022–23 (MHL): 41 games, 11 goals, seven assists, 18 points

Ranking

• Ranked 174 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
• Ranked 43 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)

Quotables

Nikita Ishimnikov is a defender who’s been able to seriously express himself in an offensive style this past year. Playing in almost all levels of Russian hockey, with every shift we’ve seen him join the rush and even arguably jump the gun to help out the forwards. Not often do we see a defender leave his defensive spot in an awkward moment to crash the net.

While I do think he has a pretty funky offensive ability, I don’t believe he’s defined enough to be considered a top Russian player. His skating seriously worries me, as his mechanics look rusty and his quickness lacks. He often tangles himself up and fails to pivot from forward to backward. Because of that, he’s been burnt way too many times coming back the other way. – Pavel Malyugin/Recruit Scouting

“Balanced, two-way defender. Nikita Ishimnikov is a big athletic looking player, but seems a bit unsure as to what kind of style of play he wants to employ. At 6’3” and almost 200 pounds, he has the frame to have a lot of stylistic “outs”.

Not a very good skater though, his heavy feet are noticeable. His lateral mobility is fine, but the straight line speed, pivots, and transition skating are well below the mark…to the point where it could be an issue.” – Hockey Prospect

Final thoughts

In back-to-back picks, the Avs went with Russian defensemen. I like what Ishimnikov brings to the table in terms of his offensive ability. He has a heavy shot and frequently joins the rush. His skating is chunky as previous reports have described, and he will need to continue to work on the defensive part of his game. Colorado’s scouting department must see something in the Russian blueliner, and in the fifth round, you can afford to take these gambles. Still, his skating needs a lot of work.

Grade: C

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Round 6, No. 187: Jeremy Hanzel, D, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

Vitals

• Birthday — February 27, 2003
• Age — 20
• Birthplace — Coquitlam, British Columbia
• Height — 6-foot-1
• Weight — 196 pounds
• Shoots — Left

Production

• 2021–22 (WHL): 63 games, seven goals, 26 assists, 33 points
• 2022–23 (WHL): 66 games, 13 goals, 35 assists, 48 points
• 2022–23 Postseason: 19 games, five goals, 17 assists, 22 points

Ranking

• Ranked 77 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
• Ranked 124 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)

Quotables

Playmaking and activation remain Hanzel’s best qualities. He doesn’t just identify the best option; he finds the best way to deliver the pass. Sometimes, that’s making a two-touch pass. Other times, that’s drawing the extra defender, faking one play, then passing just as the defender exits the lane. – Elite Prospects

A 20-year-old who became the CHL’s goal differential king this season, Hanzel registered 72 points in 90 combined regular season, playoff and Memorial Cup games for the Thunderbirds this year while playing to a league-best plus-99 rating. And while playing for a team as strong as the Thunderbirds is usually the deciding factor in outcomes that positive, he was a major factor in their success in his own right, running the team’s second power play unit, penalty-killing, and excelling at five-on-five. He can struggle pulling away from pressure with his skating and winning races from a standstill in his own zone, but he’s got good size, length and athleticism and is a pretty solid skater when he’s got the length of the ice to work with — something that is evidenced in his excellent neutral-zone gaps. He’s a well-rounded two-way defender who uses his linemates well. – Scott Wheeler/The Athletic

Analysis

A run of three straight defensemen for the Avs, Jeremy Hanzel was passed over twice before in the 2021 and 2022 drafts, utilizing two full seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds to continue his development. He is an excellent facilitator of the puck and finished with the second most points (48) among defensemen on Seattle’s roster in 2022–23. Because he is already two years ahead developmentally than most prospects, combined with the possibility that the Avs end up trading Devon Toews before his contract expires, the NHL roster might require his services along the left side of the defense sooner rather than later. I am cautiously optimistic about this pick.

Grade: B

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Round 7, No. 219: Maros Jedlicka, C, HKM Zvolen (Slovakia)

Vitals

• Birthday — October 23, 2002
• Age — 20
• Birthplace — Trnava, Slovakia
• Height — 6-foot-2
• Weight — 198 pounds
• Shoots — Left

Production

• 2022–23 (Slovakia): 39 games, 17 goals, 18 assists, 35 points
• 2022–23 Postseason: 15 games, three goals, six assists, nine points

Ranking

• Ranked 208 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY

Quotables

A speedy and efficient center with a really good skate ethic. He’s able to skate up ice and make plays in the offensive zone while being very accurate with his passing. Able to stop quickly in desperate moments and is strong on his edges. – FCHockey

Jedlička is already a double overager and may even end up not being drafted again, but his game would fit perfectly on the North American ice. He is a physical winger with solid skating, offensive skills, and more than a solid size (6´2”, 201 lbs). He likes to drive to the net and finishes his checks. He´s been a key part of Zvolen´s offense in the Slovak top tier league for two years in a row and has drawn a lot of NHL interest. He projects as a middle-six physical winger with a scoring touch who is able to play on both special teams. – McKeen’s Hockey

Final thoughts

For similar reasons as Hanzel, hopefully the fact that Jedlicka is two years ahead of the curve aids in his NHL readiness. It is difficult to gauge seventh-round picks, but the Slovakian centerman’s physicality and hard shot will carry him a long way. He is expected to be with HKM Zvolen again in 2023–24, where he has posted at least 35 points in each of the last two seasons. Beyond that? It is really anyone’s guess.

Grade: B

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Here is how Twitter graded the Avs’ 2023 NHL draft class: