Sights and Sounds: Day 2 of the NHL Draft

After a quiet first day of the NHL Draft in which the Colorado Avalanche traded away in the first round, they came back red hot on Day 2, selecting a total of nine players and adding a string of new prospects to their system.

KHL goaltender Ilya Nabokov is the centerpiece of the 2024 draft class, selected 38th overall and the first goaltender taken in this draft. He was an idea we highlighted in our draft planning. Nabokov was thought to be a possible target in the fourth round, but in reality, after his KHL playoff MVP performance, he could have come off the board at any time and the Avalanche would have been wise to strike in the second round. The 21-year-old Nabokov could be in North America in less than a year and potentially take Alexander Georgiev's position in tandem with an experienced backup.

Colorado had another pick in the trade to go into the third round, but they traded that pick down as well, trading their final pick in the fifth round, officially No. 71, for No. 76 and No. 161, to throw yet another dart.

The Avalanche finally made their pick and were the first to be in attendance at The Sphere. Third round pick William Zellers was ready to put on his burgundy and blue jersey before meeting the media. Zellers is the first player Colorado has selected from the USHL or who is set to join next season. Zellers will play for Green Bay in the USHL before heading to North Dakota.

The fifth round was at the goaltender position with two picks in near-consecutive rounds, and the Avalanche went to the position both times, looking for two long-term prospects. Ivan Younin, 137th overall, didn't enter the draft, but Lucas Cloutier, 132nd, got to hear his name called. Cloutier is from Quebec but played for the Chicago Steel in the USHL and is currently with Omaha in the NCAAs, working his way to the NCAAs.

These are just some of the names we were able to get to know among the nine new Avalanche prospects selected: See below for a complete rundown of the day's selections.

summary

It was interesting to note that there were a few themes in this massive draft class for the Avalanche: First, the three selections, including the highlight of the draft, Nabokov, completely replenished their goaltending pipeline, which was an area of ​​major need considering that prior to this year, the organization had only had one goaltender drafted since 2019.

One of the strategies we know well is to scout players from the USHL who want to go to the NCAA. Many of them don't go to college right away, so the timeline for a contract to go pro is five or six years away. This is probably what organizations want, but organizations don't have many players to sign with.

After narrowing down their draft class, the Avalanche focused on quantity with nine picks at their disposal, but sacrificed a bit of quality by not having a first-round pick and investing their top pick in an older goaltender, a strategic gamble that could pay off big, but also leaves them in a situation where Callum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyaev are the organization's top prospects at forward and defense, respectively.

The entire event at the Sphere was fun to be a part of and the venue handled the diverse crowd well. I can't believe the NHL doesn't want to move forward with this type of showcase. Perhaps some changes will be reconsidered. It was a truly memorable experience and I'm sure the drafted players feel the same way.