Avalanche loaded with NHL prospects in NCAA Tournament
Before COVID protocol reared its ugly head, there were 106 NHL draft picks scheduled to participate in the NCAA Tournament. And, the Avalanche originally had an NHLmost eight prospects in the 16team field — including 2019 first-round draft pick Alex Newhook of Boston College.
COVID protocol trimmed that list to five Avs prospects after Notre Dame was forced to withdraw from its regional opener on Saturday against BC in Albany, N.Y. Fighting Irish junior defensemen Nate Clurman and Nick Leivermann and freshman forward Ryder Rolston were late-round draft picks by the Avs in 2016, 2017 and 2020, respectively. Clurman, from Boulder, is Notre Dame’s co-captain.
Newhook and the Eagles — who feature two other Avs draftees in defenseman Drew Helleson and forward Colby Ambrosio
— get a free pass to the regional final on Sunday and will play the St. Cloud State-Boston University winner.
Michigan also withdrew from the tournament on Friday because of COVID, sending Minnesota-Duluth to the regional final in Fargo, N.D.
Back to Newhook, the elite 19-year-old forward who could conceivably sign his NHL entrylevel contract with the Avs the day after the Eagles are eliminated or win the national title. Colorado is rich with top-six scoring forwards and doesn’t need its top prospect to help it win games this season.
But the Avs might want Newhook to come in next month, play a limited number of games to prevent him from burning the first year of his ELC, and replace pending unrestricted free agent Brandon Saad next season. The Avs are paying the 28-year-old Saad $5 million this season, and if Newhook steps in his cap hit will be around $900,000.
That savings could help Colorado re-sign left wing Gabe Landeskog and goalie Philipp Grubauer, both pending UFAs, and defenseman Cale Makar, a restricted free agent.
Newhook was originally among 12 first-round draft picks in the NCAA Tournament, and among the three playing for BC. Eagles forward Matt Boldy and goalie Spencer Knight are top prospects for the Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers, respectively.
The Avalanche’s main scouting interest this weekend is probably in Loveland at the Budweiser Events Center, where the top-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers open against Nebraska-Omaha. Minnesota’s leading scorer Sampo Ranta, a 20-year-old junior forward, was selected by the Avs in the third round (78th overall) in 2018. And Colorado chose Mavericks junior forward Tyler Weiss in the fourth round (109th overall) in the same draft.
Ranta’s 18 goals are tied for second nationally behind Wisconsin sophomore Cole Caufield, the likely Hobey Baker Award winner. Ranta, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, will undoubtedly make a joint decision with the Avs on where he should play next season — the Gophers or the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in Loveland.
Avs coach Jared Bednar said Friday that general manager Joe Sakic and assistant GM Chris MacFarland plan on attending the Minnesota-Omaha game.
“Certainly wishing our guys luck,” Bednar said of all the Avs’ prospects.
“I know Newhook is having a real good season and I’ve seen quite a few highlights on Sampo Ranta.”