Avalanche 2024 Draft Target: Malmo Redhawks’ Dominik Badinka

He is a handy defender who effectively utilizes his mobility to make an impact at both ends of the ice. Although Badinka seldom strays from his position at the blue line, when he does, he employs his deceptive skating to outmaneuver defenders and create better scoring opportunities. He played with the Redhawks’ J20 Nationell and the men’s SHL teams. With the J20 team, he played 17 games and scored two goals and 11 assists. In the SHL, he played 33 games and scored one goal and three assists.

Badinka’s Fit With the Team

Badinka would join a defensive prospect pool that includes Sean Behrens, Mikhail Gulyayev, Sam Malinski, and Saige Weinstein. However, his size (6-foot-3 and 190 pounds) is a significant factor in his offensive and defensive game. When Colorado drafted Gulyayev at pick 31 in 2023, he was 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds. From a prospect standpoint, the next largest defenseman within the organization is Weinstein, coming in at 6 feet and 179 pounds. To put that into perspective, he is the same height as Josh Manson but weighs less – Manson comes in at 218 pounds.

Even more impressive is that Badinka still has room to grow in size while further developing his game with his strength. He is excellent around the boards, using his body and an active stick to create turnovers. In addition, he moves extremely well for his size and can carry the puck up the ice with great speed and stickhandling.

The defensemen in the Avalanche’s prospect pool have been built around their different defensive specializations. Not every drafted defenseman can turn out like Cale Makar, who can take over games. If drafted, Badinka could become a strong force on the right side, a position of need. He would benefit from his ability to defend while having room to grow his offensive game and have other defensemen carry that load. Due to his size and skating ability, Badinka can easily guide an attacker towards the boards to limit his options or prevent him from cutting towards the center of the ice. His game isn’t perfect, but his skill level is already very good for his age.

It’s unlikely we’ll see another draft-day trade like the one to acquire Ross Colton from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Avalanche gave up a second-round pick for him, and they don’t have another second-round pick until 2026, so making trades during the draft or even the offseason could be risky, especially considering how they managed to acquire the draft pick that became Gulyayev when they traded Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens.

Many people, scouts, and insiders have different views on who should go to which team and who is better among their peers. The Avalanche likely already have a set selection of players they would pick if the cards fall in their favor. For many, Badinka might be a stretch at 24th overall. Still, with only one pick before the fourth round, management must be confident in their choice unless they’re ready to make a trade to make another first-round selection.