The Colorado Avalanche made nine selections in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, their highest total since the 2024 draft, which also saw them take nine. After days of rumors and speculation about whether they might move some of these picks, Colorado ultimately chose to use them to restock their prospect pool.

Here is a breakdown of every pick the Avalanche made this afternoon.

Acquired in the Valeri Nichushkin trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, this pick was used on Shilov, who was one of the QMJHL’s most prolific offensive drivers this past season. 

Coming in at 6-foot-1 and 176 pounds, he finished the season with 32 goals and 50 assists for 82 points, leading the Tigres in assists and points, while being second in goals. Among the entire QMJHL, Shilov finished seventh in points and ninth in assists.

Despite finishing second-to-last in the West, the Tigres secured a playoff spot and were ultimately bounced in four games. Despite finishing with over 80 points, the Tigres had only one other player finish with more than 50 points, and that was linemate Alexei Vlasov, who had 80. Nobody else on the Tigres came close to reaching 50 points, underscoring how important he was to the team.

Shilov can dominate the puck game, and for the value pick, the Avalanche got him at he’s as skilled as you’ll find in the CHL. While the talent is all there and there is even more room to grow, the negatives are that he can, at times, be caught watching the puck too often and simply lacks the pace to thrive at the next level. 

He is returning to the Tigres next season and will join the NCAA at Penn State University in the 2027–28 season after that.

Finishing with 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points this past season, Beckett Hamilton has been a forward who, despite not being the biggest at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, has been praised by many scouts for what he brings to his team with his attitude and motor.

EliteProspects, in their draft report, says:

“A Swiss Army knife, Hamilton adapts his game to the situation. Away from the puck, he’s constantly battling opponents and overwhelming them with his closing speed”

He led the Rebels in goals, assists, and points as he helped bring the team into the playoffs. He is not afraid to shoot the puck and go hard to the net to crash into a loose puck rebound.

He's a player who likes to play in transition, and with a high motor to match his pace, you can see why the Avalanche might have liked what they saw and how he can fit their system as a “go get it” type of player.

The first goaltender the Avalanche take off the board is Tobias Tvrznik from the Wild, who is 6-foot-4 and 181 pounds. In his first season with the Wild, he finished with a record of 16-18-4 but with a .913 save percentage and 3.10 goals against average.

He's a goaltender who catches with his right hand and was ranked eighth by NHL Central Scouting among all North American goalies. He's a goalie who, despite his size, can use his hockey intelligence to the fullest by analyzing the play in infront of him and seeing all the adjustments made that could impact his line of sight.

Though he played with the Wild this past season, he has committed to Ohio State University this upcoming season.

The Avalanches first defensemen pick in this draft, and it's one that can really help the team in the future if Elofsson can develop in the right places. Playing 32 games in the SHL U20 league, the U20 Nationell, he finished with 9 goals and 32 assists for 41 points, placing third on his team in points and leading the team in assists.

At 18 years old, Eloffson has already shown all the skills necessary for an NHL offensive defenseman to quarterback a power play. Paired with his skating and the speed that comes with it, his skills to create and join the rush are what I think the Avalanche really saw when scouting. He looks to beat his man from the point, and, paired with his handling skills, his vision really opens up, creating scoring opportunities.

While he isn’t the biggest defenseman at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, the NHL Network at the time even compared his game to that of Sam Malinski, where the offensive side, at its best, can really shine, but the defensive work can be an issue.

Though at 18, this can be a project for the Avalanche, and he will get more time in Sweden as he is on loan next season with IK Oskarshamn in the HockeyAllsvenskan league.

With back-to-back picks, the Avalanche take their second defenseman of the draft and one they must have really liked in Cole Tuminaro, as they traded for this pick with the New Jersey Devils in exchange for pick 149 and pick 222. 

While Elofsson is all about the high upside of his offensive game and rounding out the defensive cons that come with it, Tuminaro is the complete opposite. Coming in at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he is just the type of player when you look at those physicals.

Despite finishing with five goals and six assists for 11 points in 54 games, he is all about using his size anywhere on the ice at all times—letting the opponent know about his mean presence and laying the body. Battling for pucks in the corners, slamming bodies along the walls, and blocking shots with his body are his forte.

Even with his size, he can skate pretty well, and despite the lack of production, some upsides to his offensive game make him a good fit for a defense-first defenseman. He will be playing for Cornell University next season.

Teddy Lechner is one of the youngest players in the draft and the youngest the Avalanche selected today, with a birthday of August 22nd, which is just a couple of days away from making him eligible for next year's draft.

With that, Lechner spent a lot of time this year with multiple teams, though his longest tenure was with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and the Academy of Holy Angels of the USHS-MN, where he finished with 7 goals and 31 assists for 38 points.

This is the same place Erik Johnson came out of. Both are right-shot defensemen from Bloomington, Minnesota, and went to Holy Angels. At 17, he will be a true development project for the Avalanche, already showing great skating ability. Time will really show how he develops his game to the next level when he joins Augustana University next year.

Coming from a place that's pretty familiar with drafting from, the Halifax Mooseheads, left-winger Shawn Carrier, who went undrafted last year in the draft, but after a successful season that saw him finish with 37 goals and 28 assists for 65 points, it was enough of a jump from last season's 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points that secured him a spot with the Avalanche.

The pros and cons of his game are that nothing really stands out, but his simple style really appeals to the seventh round of the draft. He's a fast enough skater who's strong and aggressive on the forecheck and makes his presence known on the ice. His game isn’t just known for its aggressiveness; he's not afraid to shoot the puck and crash the net for a rebound.

He wants to be involved in plays, whether that's forcing the puck off someone and looking to make the play, or being in the right spot for a shot, or getting in infront of the net for the rebound. It will be a major step next season as he finishes his last season in the QMJHL before joining Boston University in the 2027-28 season.

Their third defenseman pick in the draft is an unlikely story that turned out for the best. Coming out of the Czechia U20 league, Ondrej Ruml’s debut season in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s was pretty impressive, considering how hard the transition is from one league to another, and having a pretty successful rookie season.

It wasn’t a crazy productive season, but 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points is nothing to scoff at as an 18-year-old defenseman in his rookie season. He showed a significant scoring flash from the blue line and played a key role in the offense.

He might be a player we can look back on in a couple of seasons if Ruml can really develop using his mobility and skating, in part with his offensive capabilities. If so, his rookie season numbers will be something to remember as the start of something much greater to come with his time in the OHL.

With their last pick in the draft and back-to-back with Ruml, the Avalanche take their second goaltender in Alexandre Raymond. With the Huskies, he finished with a record of 7-4-4 and a .914 save percentage.

What makes Raymond unique is that he is a “southpaw” goalie, meaning that he catches with his left hand and holds his stick with his right, similar to players like Connor Hellebuyck, Igor Shesterkin, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.