Nolan is best Foote forward
The younger son of the great Avalanche player could be a high NHL draft selection
Another Foote might find his way back to the Pepsi Center, and if nothing else, Nolan Foote appears destined to play in the NHL building where his father’s jersey is retired.
Draft-eligible Nolan is the younger of legendary Av Adam Foote’s two sons, but he’s different from his dad and older brother, Cal Foote — a 2017 first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning: Nolan is the only left-shooting power forward in the family.
“I just grew up a different hand — I’m a lefty — and always wanted to score goals, in hockey and lacrosse,” Nolan Foote told The Denver Post. “I was always just shooting pucks and having the scoring touch. It was just my thing. Obviously, my dad and Cal are great defenders. I always had a tough time playing against Cal in the back yard.”
Cal Foote, 20, is a right-shooting shutdown defenseman like his dad, who played 12 of his 19 NHL seasons with the Avalanche — the last two as team captain. Nolan, 18, is poised to become the family’s third NHL draft pick (with an outside chance of being the third first-rounder) at the June 21-22 entry draft in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“I personally think I am a firstrounder,” Nolan said. “I’ll stay true to that, my belief on that. I guess we’ll just see.”
After factoring in European skaters and European and North American forwards, Foote is projected to be a second- or thirdround pick. He met with 28 of the 31 teams at the recent NHL combine in Buffalo, including the Avalanche. But Avs general manager Joe Sakic — who coached Foote and his own son, Chase, when the boys were on the 13-under and 14U Colorado Thunderbirds — was not in the meeting.
“I don’t know where he was,” Foote said of Sakic. “But I knew a few of the scouts, and I knew the trainer. It was a good interview, fun. Nothing hard, just an easy interview with a couple laughs.”
Foote, 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, is ranked 37th among North American skaters by Central Scouting. The third-year winger for major-junior’s Kelowna Rockets dropped 11 spots from the midterm ranking before learning he played nearly the entire 2018-19
season with a fractured wrist that ultimately healed itself.
Given his injury — and ability to push through it — Foote might hear his name called earlier than most expect in Vancouver.
“When (NHL) teams asked about injuries or whatever, I made it pretty clear that I did play with it,” Foote said of the wrist fracture that was detected in a postseason X-ray. “It was difficult but at the same time, I was able to play through it. I just figured I didn’t need X-rays because it wasn’t too sore. But I felt it all along. It’s all good now.”
The entire Foote family will be in Vancouver for the draft, including mother Jennifer Foote. Adam Foote, who took over as Kelowna’s head coach in October, politely declined comment for this story because he doesn’t want to take the spotlight from his son. Adam had the same attitude two years ago when Cal was the third defenseman selected behind Miro Heiskanen (No. 3 to Dallas) and Cale Makar (No. 4 to Colorado).
Cal and Nolan were born in Englewood during their dad’s tenure with the Avs. Nolan, who played with Cal in his first two seasons in Kelowna, led the Rockets with 36 goals last season — tied for 17th-most in the Western Hockey League (20-under).
Colorado has five selections in the first three rounds, including the No. 4 and No. 16 overall picks. The Avs also have the 47th, 63rd and 78th picks, and could potentially select Foote with the 16th or 47th picks, or the latter two.
“That would be crazy,” Foote said of being selected by Sakic and the Avs. “That would be really cool.”
Foote plans on returning to Kelowna for a final year next season, when the Rockets host the 2020 Memorial Cup, before turning pro. He will again play for his father in what can be a difficult situation. Adam helped Sakic coach those 13U and 14U Thunderbirds and also Nolan’s 16U team.
“It’s different than bantam and midget but I know he has a lot of knowledge about the game,” Nolan said of his father. “He’s a good speaker, and it makes it easier when I have a good relationship with everyone on the team. It’s nice to be close with everyone on the team. He’s created good relationships with most of the guys. But again, he’s hard on guys — hard on me, the most — but at the same time, it’s really good.”