After ranking the top 100 NHL prospects for 2015-16, and ranking each team by organizational depth, ESPN Insider Corey Pronman ranks the top 10 prospects for each NHL team. Here is his entry for the Colorado Avalanche. Extended write-ups on prospects ranked in the top 100 can be accessed here.
The Avs' system has shown notable progression in the past year because of trades and a very solid 2015 draft class. The pipeline is very thin in depth, as shown this past season when relying on call-ups such as Borna Rendulic. However, the top of the group is pretty decent; the low system rank (25th) is due to the fact the floor falls out too quickly.
Will Butcher's production at the University of Denver does not wow you, and he's a small defenseman as well, so I understand why a quick Google search of him might leave you underwhelmed. However, I see a lot of upside in his game. He skates at a high level, is skilled, has great hockey sense and competes very well. I'd like to see him do better versus bigger, older players, but he's shown versus his age group he can compete for pucks. I could see him as a big riser.
I'm a big fan of Andrei Mironov, and the Avs have a potential home run pick in the fourth round if they can get him to cross the pond. He's a very intelligent, two-way defenseman, with above-average mobility and good physicality, who has consistently played at the top of his age group. Recently, he was a KHL All-Star and took a regular shift with Russia's team at the IIHF World Championships in his 20-year-old season. His KHL contract expires at the end of 2016-17.
At the top of his game, J.T. Compher is a skilled, smart, gritty, all-around forward, but his offensive pace and development hasn't hit that next level yet for me compared to where he was as an under-18 player.
Nicolas Meloche is an above-average skater who closes his gaps very well on his checks. He is a very aggressive, physical player, who delivers punishing hits. He can kill penalties, though he could fix a read or two in his positioning; but, he makes defensive plays. Meloche is a solid puck mover and he gets a ton of shots through to goal because of his shooting skills and his hockey IQ. Connor Bleackley is a hard-working player who is a quality defensive asset, and flashes creativity and vision. The offense hasn't really been there consistently, though, and he's not a blazing skater, either.
Calvin Pickard doesn't have a ton of upside, but he's NHL-ready for the most part. He's a very hard-working goalie who is a great athlete and shows above-average hockey sense. Kyle Wood's two-way IQ is a positive, and he projects -- if he pans out -- to being a legit two-way defenseman with the physical tools to win battles. He has to improve his skating, but otherwise, his offensive touch for a big man really stands out.
Noteworthy prospect
Joey Hishon is one of the toughest prospects out there for me to get a read on, for the obvious reason that he missed an enormous amount of time because of a concussion. He's a very skilled and competitive forward with good hockey sense, although he's small. Given how much time he's missed, I'm willing to wait on him one more year for a breakout.
2015-16 impact
Chris Bigras should make a case for an NHL job out of training camp. I think Mikko Rantanen probably needs one more campaign of pro hockey seasoning before the NHL, but it's not inconceivable he gets a long look, or maybe even a few trial games. Pickard is ready to step in as a backup goalie, while depth forwards such as Hishon, Freddie Hamilton, Colin Smith and Andrew Agozzino could potentially play at the bottom of the lineup, as well.