Avalanche could have 29th selection in possible June 5 virtual draft.
The date and selection order of the 2020 NHL draft is up in the air. Originally pegged for June 26-27 in Montreal, the league scrapped that plan because of the coronavirus pandemic but recently has been discussing having a virtual draft next month — if it can determine rules surrounding the possibility that play resumes for the 2019-20 season this summer.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly recently issued a memo to teams recently outlining what could be a June 5 virtual draft — with the order based on points percentage for those not in a position to be included in the preceding draft lottery.
If that was the case, the playoff-bound Avalanche (if there is a playoff) would have the 29th pick of the first round because it is tied with the NHL’s third-highest points percentage (.657), behind Boston (.714) and St. Louis (.662), and “wins” the tiebreaker with Tampa Bay with more regulation victories (37 to 35).
Five possible picks at No. 29:
F John-Jason Peterka. The German played for his country’s top professional league last season and is ranked by Central Scouting No. 7 among European skaters.
F Seth Jarvis. A smaller, right-shot sniper who finished second in Western Hockey League scoring with 98 points (42 goals) in 58 games.
F Vasili Ponomaryov. The Russian played last season — his first in North America — with Shawinigan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (49 points in 57 games).
D Justin Barron. Had four goals for the weak Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL last season, ranked No. 5 among North American defensemen.
F Thomas Bordeleau. Played for the U.S. National Development Program last season and will remain in Ann Arbor, Mich., to begin his NCAA career with the Wolverines this fall.
Like most teams, the Avs usually say they will enter the draft’s first round with the mindset of selecting the best player available. That will definitely ring true this year. Colorado has the deepest prospect pool among all NHL teams, according to The Hockey News, and the top prospects cover all three positions.