Timmins ranked fourth among North American defensemen Avalanche draft selections FIRST ROUND
On Day 2 of the NHL draft Saturday, the Avalanche continued to focus on playmaking defensemen and remained quiet on the trade front.
With the first pick of the second round at the United Center in Chicago, the Avs chose Conor Timmins, a 6-foot-1, 184-pound defenseman who has similar attributes to Colorado’s firstround pick Friday: Cale Makar — the draft’s highest-rated North American defenseman.
Makar and Timmins are considered skilled, puck-moving defensemen capable of quarterbacking the power play. And both are right-handed shooters. Makar, 5-11 and 187 pounds, is loosely compared to Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson, and Timmins has the traits of Washington’s Kevin Shattenkirk.
Timmins, ranked fourth among North American defensemen, plays major-junior in the Ontario Hockey League for Sault Ste. Marie, where he amassed 61 points (54 assists) in 67 games. His plus-53 rating was fifth-best in the OHL.
In the end, Colorado collected two of the top four draft-eligible defensemen in the continent. In the previous 10 drafts, the Avs chose just two defensemen in the first round — Shattenkirk in 2007 (14th overall) and Duncan Siemens in 2011 (No. 11).
The Avs didn’t have a thirdround pick — it was traded to New Jersey for defenseman Eric Gelinas in 2016 — but they went on to select three forwards, a goalie and another defenseman in the seventh and final round. Colorado, who finished with a league-low 48 points last season, did not make a trade during the two-day draft.
As expected, incoming University of Denver freshman defenseman Ian Mitchell was selected in the second round. Mitchell, who was ranked No. 26 among North American skaters, went to the Chicago Blackhawks with the 57th pick. Future DU classmate Dayton Rasmussen was not among the 21 goalies selected, despite entering the draft at the No. 6-rated North American goalie. But Rasmussen, 18, will also be draft-eligible next year after his freshman season with the Pioneers. … The Avalanche used its first two picks on defensemen first the first time since 2007, when it selected Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen (second round, No. 45). … Each of the Avs draft picks played in different leagues last season (AJHL, OHL, WHL, NCAA, Russia, Czech Republic, U.S. high school). … Englewood native Cal Foote was among five Americans selected in the first round Friday, and 49 overall. Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or @mikechambers No. 4: D Cale Makar 5-foot-11, 187 pounds, Brooks (AJHL) Projected to become the next Duncan Keith or Erik Karlsson. No. 32: D Conor Timmins 6-1, 184, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) Ranked 18th among North American skaters (fourth among defensemen). No. 94: F Nick Henry 5-11, 190 Regina (WHL) Was the WHL’s second-leading rookie scorer last season with 81 points (35 goals) in 72 games. No. 114: G Petr Kvaca 6-1, 174 C. Budejovice (Czech) Undersized but finished last season with a .939 save percentage. No. 125: C Igor Shvyrev 6-1, 191 Magnitogorsk (Russia) His cousin, Nikolay Kulemin, is a forward with the New York Islanders. No. 156: F Denis Smirnov 5-8, 185 Penn State (NCAA) Led Penn State and all NCAA freshmen in scoring last season with 47 points (19 goals). No. 187: D Nick Leivermann 5-10, 194 Eden Prairie (Minn. HS) Committed to play college hockey at Notre Dame.