The Colorado Avalanche‘s prospect pool might not be as deep as the Chicago Blackhawks’s or Anaheim Ducks, mainly due to their success and using draft capital in trades to remain competitive. However, they still have many quality prospects who have promise, and even some of the most-respected scouts agree.
Elite Prospects and Ep Rinkside, two of the most knowledgeable and credible sources on NHL prospects, have released their annual Top 100 ranked NHL-affiliated skaters (Not including goaltenders) lists, consisting of prospects drafted to an NHL team and ranked from one to 100 based on their analysis. Here are the three Avalanche players who made the lists, where they ranked last year, and what we could see from them this upcoming season and in the future.
Sean Behrens (D) 2024 Rank: 70, 2023 Rank: 69, +1
The Hockey Writers 2024 Mid-Season Ranking: N/R
Drafted 61st overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Sean Behrens has taken significant steps each season at the University of Denver in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). He is coming off a career season that saw him score four goals and 27 assists in 44 games and win the NCAA Championship for the second time.
Behrens signed his entry-level contract (ELC) with the Avalanche and played in two games with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Colorado Eagles shortly after winning the NCAA Championship. Shortly after signing the contract, he was able to play in one regular season and playoff game; he had one assist and was a plus-two.
At 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, Beherens isn’t the most prominent defender, but his physicality is not limited. One of the best aspects of his game is his vision. He constantly scans the ice, even when he doesn’t have the puck, looking for what play to make or what might happen. He is efficient in stick battles in the corner and has a motor that never stops.
The Avalanche’s defensive core is jammed with recent signings and existing contracts. The team is ready to compete for another Stanley Cup, so adding the 21-year-old Behrens to the roster right now might not be the best move for his development. However, he would do well in the AHL, where we can see his game against an older, more challenging competition.
We would also see how well he meshes with other prospects like Jean-Luc Foudy and Oskar Olausson. Seeing what he can produce at the AHL level will affect his future rankings. Defensemen in front, and not too far from him, are Oliver Bonk, Ethan Del Mastro, and Scott Morrow. All players are currently playing in the AHL or, in Bonk’s case, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL.) All three players have signed their ELCs, and if all stay in their respective leagues that they started in at the beginning of the season, a strong outing from Behrens could see him move past all three touted prospects.
Mikhail Gulyayev (D) 2024 Rank: 51, 2023 Rank: 90, +39
THW 2024 Mid-Season Ranking: 89
Mikhail Gulyayev, drafted 31st overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, has shot up the rankings and for good reason. He scored four goals and 12 points, playing in all 64 games last season with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In 12 playoff games, he scored two goals and one assist to rank sixth on the team in points. This was his first season with the team before seeing time in multiple leagues under the KHL, like the Supreme Hockey League (known as the VHL) and the junior Molodyozhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (known as the MHL). The KHL is a significant step up from the previous two, and his work last season showed his growth and capability to play at such a high level on a competitive team while he was young.
Considering his size at 5-foot-10 and his playing in a full-time position in the KHL at 19, his numbers might not stand out. Compared to Ivan Demidov and Matvei Michkov’s numbers in the KHL, Gulyayev’s look bad. Still, the qualities he shows at such a young age open the room for further development in the skills he already possesses or can further develop. He is a two-way defenseman who can be lethal with his skating and puck-handling skills. He excels in corner battles and is solid in front of the net. He can also join the offensive rush in emergencies.
Related: Colorado Avalanche Top 20 Prospects: Post-2024 NHL Draft
Again, there’s a logjam on the Avalanche’s defense, but one key factor plays in his favour: his KHL contract. Last season, he signed an extension to stay with Avangard Omsk until the end of the 2026 season. Recently, the KHL and the Russian Hockey Federation implemented some rule changes that impacted how contracts work. NHL teams can now further negotiate with KHL teams about a player they drafted under contract to have him released and move to the NHL quickly. His contract confirms ample playing time in the KHL, and by 2026, management will have an idea of how he will look on the roster. Only Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Samuel Girard are signed until the start of the 2026 season. He might not get a roster spot right out of the gate and most likely see some time in the AHL to ease him into North America, but I wouldn’t be surprised come the 2026 offseason that his game is solid enough for a roster spot.
Calum Ritchie (C) 2024 Rank: 20, 2023 Rank: 37, +17
THW 2024 Mid-Season Ranking: 72
Drafted 27th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Calum Ritchie is coming off a breakout season in 2023-24. Many were high on his skills but were worried about his talent and development because of a shoulder injury in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup that had some scouts cautioning about taking him too high in the draft. Last season demonstrated his true capabilities and the value he adds to the Avalanche, despite recovering from shoulder surgery. In 50 games with the Oshawa Generals in the OHL, he scored 28 goals and 80 points, leading the team in assists and points and ranking third in goals in fewer games.
He was a different player in the playoffs, scoring eight goals and 30 points, which ranked second in the OHL playoffs. Ritchie signed his ELC this offseason and looked great in development camp. Last development camp, Ritchie wasn’t able to fully participate in many offseason activities as he was recovering from his shoulder surgery, so questions were up in the air about his production this season as he recovered. After this past season and how he had developed so much over a year’s time, the question comes to what will it take for him to make the starting roster and is there is room for him?
Ritchie is in a “limbo” right now – he might be too good for the OHL, but he is not old enough to play in the AHL, and the Avalanche roster is pretty full. Yes, he could be slotted into the fourth-line center position, but would that be the best thing for his development? Not really.
Right now, the top-two center positions are set. Nathan MacKinnon is on the top line, and Casey Mittelstadt (with his new contract) is on the second. There’s a case to be made for Ritchie to play on the third line. But that would mean either Ross Colton moves down, or he moves to the wing, and Miles Wood moves down. Having Colton’s $4 million contract on the fourth line doesn’t sit well with me, and Wood’s speed could help his game. If you were to ask me, I would have him play nine games to start the season and have him rotate in between the wing and center position between the second and third lines. This would allow the Avalanche coaching staff to see how he fits with different teammates, how he matches up against older and tougher opponents, and how his game translates to the NHL at his age. This allows them to then send Ritchie back to the OHL and finish out the year without taking a year off his ELC.
The Avalanche have many talented prospects in its system. Yes, they might not have the upside or pure talent as some other teams, but management knows how to draft well. The 2024 NHL Entry Draft brought in a great selection of players who filled some spots. Whether these players will become top-line, 80-point guys remains uncertain. However, we do know that the management saw potential in these players and will do everything to ensure they are comfortable in a well-developed system, setting them up for success in their careers with the Avalanche.
