The Colorado Avalanche traded their only first-round pick at the 24th spot to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for the 38th and 71st picks in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 draft (acquired by Utah from the New York Rangers).
"It's no secret that we've spent quite a bit of draft capital the last few years," GM Chris MacFarland said on Friday. "We felt it was pretty good value, dropping down 13 or 14 spots to pick up a second and third this year and a second next year, especially considering we didn't have a first second or third next year. So we felt that value was pretty good."
The Avs first choice at the 38th spot was 6-foot, 179 pound Russian goaltender Ilya Nabokov. The 21-year-old netminder played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last season where he earned a .930 save percentage in 43 regular-season games and a .942 SV% in 23 playoff games.
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Nabokov was the highest the Avalanche have selected a goalie since taking Philippe Sauve at 38th overall in 1998.
"You see the different birth years there and that kind of brings him along a different development path," Director of Player Development Brian Willsie said. "Getting an older goalie like that in Russia right now we'll keep a close eye on and obviously watch him a lot but as they come along at different stages it definitely helps fit them in."
Colorado's pick in the third round (76th overall) was left-wing William Zellers from Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota — the same prep school several other NHL players attended, including Nathan MacKinnon. The 5-foot-11 forward was ranked 54th on the NHL's draft prospect rankings for North American skaters.
"I think I'm a fast, hard-nosed, hard-grit player. I like to play in the big games, and make the big plays. I enjoy producing for my team and winning hockey games is the best part of it," Zellers said.
The Avs' solo fourth-round pick (121st overall), Jake Fisher, is a 19-year-old center from the USHL who will attend the University of Denver in the fall.
He earned 47 points in 51 games with the Fargo Force of the USHL in the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound, forward tallied six points in 12 postseason games.
Colorado had three picks in the fifth round and took Louka Cloutier (132nd overall), a 6-foot-2, 168-pound goaltender from the USHL, Ivan Yunin (137th overall), a 6-foot-1, 172-pound goaltender from the Russian junior league, and Maxmilian Curran (161st overall), a 6-foot-3, 185-pound Czech center from the Western Hockey League.
Curran said his speed, quick thinking and decision making have improved since coming to the WHL from Europe.
"I've been to Colorado once, and it's beautiful there, but all the players — I like the franchise a lot. I've always been a fan of them so it's a dream come true," Curran said about being drafted by the Avalanche.
The Avs chose one defenseman, Tory Pitner, from the USHL in the sixth round at the 185th overall spot.The The 6-foot-1, 180-pound blueliner is also committed to DU and ironically roommates with his fellow draftee Fisher.
The 18-year-old served as an as alternate captain with his Youngstown USHL team and scored 24 points in 50 games last season.
"My defending's my biggest strength. I think that I can use my brain and really just bait other players into plays that they don't want to make and then close out and really take away time and space ... I think can defend really well," Pitner said. "I'd say my player comparable is John Marino and so his ability to play against those top line guys and shut them down every night."
Colorado's last two picks were forward Christian Humphreys, 18, from the United States National Development Program of the USHL and forward Nikita Prishchepov, 20, from the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL.
Nabokov and Yunin are the only two draftee who will not attend the Avalanche's development camp July 3 through July 5.
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