NHL Prospect Pool Overview '26-27: Colorado Avalanche Make Trades To Help Barren Pipeline
The Colorado Avalanche have been more than happy to trade draft picks and prospects in pursuit of a Stanley Cup for the past decade.
After winning in 2022, they've been searching for that same feeling ever since, at the cost of their prospect pipeline. That said, they did select nine players at this year's NHL draft.
It's the Avalanche's turn in our NHL prospect pool overview series.
2026 NHL Draft Class
Round 2, 43rd overall - Yegor Shilov, C, Victoriaville (QMJHL)
Round 3, 74th overall - Beckett Hamilton, C/RW, Red Deer (WHL)
Round 4, 126th overall - Tobias Tvrznik, G, Wenatchee (WHL)
Round 4, 128th overall - Axel Elofsson, D, Orebro Jr. (Swe.)
Round 5, 140th overall - Cole Tuminaro, D, Chicago (USHL)
Round 5, 152nd overall - Teddy Lechner, D, Holy Angels (Minn. H.S.)
Round 7, 195th overall - Shawn Carrier, LW, Halifax (QMJHL)
Round 7, 214th overall - Ondrej Ruml, D, Ottawa (OHL)
Round 7, 215th overall - Alexandre Raymond, G, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
The Avalanche usually don't make this many picks. In doing so, they added talented players to their prospect pool, made some interesting swings on skill and went off the board for a few players who didn't get much love throughout the draft year.
Yegor Shilov is a tactical forward who torched the QMJHL. The Russian import has sick hands and the confidence to take on any defender 1-on-1. He shows off some impressive creativity as a playmaker, and when he gets his chance to take a shot, he is more than happy to do so. Shilov could develop into a scoring forward at the NHL level, but the question will be whether he can be a center.
Beckett Hamilton is a versatile forward who is a tad bit undersized and doesn't really have a standout skill, but he often finds a way to be more than the sum of his parts. He pushes himself to put in the work at both ends of the ice, even if the results don't show it. Hamilton is a really interesting player who brings a bit of everything to the game and the mentality to make it all work.
The Avs took overage goalie Tobias Tvrznik with their first pick in the fourth round. The Czech netminder made his way to the WHL this past season, where he put up really impressive numbers. He's not the most purely athletic netminder, but he reads the play well, tracks the puck, and finds the way to make the save. He's very technically sound and could be a solid bet to make the NHL one day.
When the Avalanche took Axel Elofsson, they bet that the shifty, skilled defender could find a way to make it work at the pro level as a 5-foot-10 blueliner. His puck-moving ability in transition and his footwork at the offensive blueline make him one of the draft's most fun players to watch. He can run a power play with precision and create plenty of offensive chances. His defensive game needs work, but if he can lean into his mobility, he could probably figure out how to at least be serviceable in that regard.
In round five, Colorado took 19-year-old defenseman Cole Tuminaro. The Cornell commit will bring his mean streak to college hockey this upcoming season. He punishes opponents in various ways. He'll give a shot after the whistle, use his stick like an extension of his hands to deliver massive cross checks, and line opponents up for booming hits. His game isn't flashy with the puck, but it's certainly violent.
One of the youngest players in the draft, Teddy Lechner, split this past season between Minnesota high school hockey and the United States League. He's a good skater who has room to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame. He plays a smart defensive brand of hockey, and if he can get stronger and add some jam to his game, it will only benefit him.
Shawn Carrier was an interesting swing in the seventh round. He's a very good forechecker and physical presence who has a nice goal-scoring touch. His game is fairly straightforward, as he hunts down pucks and gets them to the net, but it's worked at the QMJHL level. Some development in the NCAA will be massive for him. He's committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 season.
The Avalanche took Ondrej Ruml, which means they believe he can become more of a consistent threat offensively. As it stands, he's an offensive defenseman who doesn't have the elite skill to be one at the next level. He's a confident kid who wants to do more, and the environment in Ottawa wasn't always conducive to doing it.
Alexandre Raymond often put the puck into the corner or deflected it out of play rather than cover it for a faceoff. He certainly needs to refine some things in his game, but he has good size, decent mobility and sound technical skill. He must keep improving the mental aspect of his game to make it as a pro.
Strengths
Most of the strength in Colorado's prospect pool comes from some of the better prospects it added at this year's NHL draft.
The Avalanche did a very solid job of taking some swings on interesting players. They weren't just swinging on raw skill, either. They took guys they felt could develop into a serviceable NHL role.
That said, they honestly don't have an area of strength in their prospect pool. They just have a few players who are interesting talents.
Weaknesses
Simply put, the Avs do not have a very stocked pipeline.
They lack high-end talent, mid-level talent and even players with a safe floor.
Colorado hasn't done a great job of keeping the cupboards even relatively full during its run of contention. They've simply just banked on a player or two outperforming where they were drafted.
Hidden Gem: Fabian Lysell, RW
Simply put, the Bruins just didn't seem to have the faith in Lysell to give him a legitimate opportunity.
The speedster put up solid numbers in the AHL and, in a dozen NHL games, scored a goal and three points in a solid bottom-six role.
He may not have blown the doors off, but he looked more than comfortable at the NHL level. Lysell just didn't seem to fit what the Bruins wanted for whatever reason.
In Colorado, Lysell will be given a bit more room to run. In the same way that Martin Necas was able to unleash his potential, Lysell may have a bit of that same opportunity, albeit not to the same level.
Next Man Up: Zachary L'Heureux, LW
When the Avalanche traded Drury for Svechkov and L'Heureux, they looked to add two NHLers for the price of one. Svechkov should admirably fill the shoes of Drury as a center in the bottom six, but the real prize in the deal was L'Heureux and the potential for him to be a difference-maker with his skill and power.
He has the potential to develop into one of the league's super pests. He's the kind of player who scores in the shootout and trash talks the goalie immediately afterward. The Avs lineup could use a bit more of what L'Heureux brings in terms of potential depth scoring and elite trash talk.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Zachary L'Heureux, Nikita Prishchepov, Shawn Carrier, Cooper Gay
C: Egor Shilov, Nolan Roed
RW: Fabian Lysell, Beckett Hamilton, Christian Humphreys
LD: Mikhail Gulyayev, Francesco Dell'elce, Saige Weinstein,
RD: Axel Elofsson, Tory Pitner, Cole Tuminaro, Teddy Lechner, Linus Funck, Nikita Ishimnikov
G: Ilya Nabokov, Ivan Yunin, Louka Cloutier, Tobias Tvrznik, Nikita Novosyolov
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.
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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 1:40 PM.