The Best Draft In Colorado Avalanche History

Off the top of your head, what do you think is the greatest draft in Avalanche history? Is it the 2001 draft where they got Budaj, McCormick, and Svatos? The 2005 draft where they picked Hensick, Cumiskey, Stastny, and Stoa? 

No.

This would have been a much harder task had it not been for the Avs recent debauchery from 2009-2012 where they got all those high picks in the draft. So, according to us, and we hold some pretty big clout in the Avs community (we were once mentioned by a casual fan during an Avs practice, so that’s a pretty big deal) the best draft in Colorado Avalanche history is the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. We’ve outlined the top 5 draft busts, but let’s focus on the positive for a short while. Let’s take a look at the players:

2009 Draft	Rd.	Pick	Pos.	HT	WT	Shot	Cause for departure	Currently
Matt Duchene	1	3	C	5-11	200	L	-	Colorado Avalanche
Ryan O'Reilly	2	33	C	6-0	200	L	-	Colorado Avalanche
Stefan Elliott	2	49	D	6-1	180	R	-	Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Barrie	3	64	D	5-10	190	R	-	Colorado Avalanche
Kieran Millan	5	124	G	6-0	190	L	-	Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Brandon Maxwell	6	154	G	6-0	195	L	Not Extended A Contract	Medvescak Zagreb (KHL)
Gus Young	7	184	D	6-2	190	L	-	Yale University (NCAA)

 (Stick tap to AvalancheDB . Go there. Best site on the internet)

That is just money in the bag. Matt Duchene 3^rd overall. Duchene is one of the leaders on this club and arguably the best player. Despite some injuries, he can be counted on for almost a point per game. His blistering speed and totally ungreedy money hungry attitude makes him a little bit more valuable and respectable than the next player drafted.

Ryan O’Reilly, all joking and contract disputes aside, is probably the best 2^nd round draft pick in recent memory. Everyone knows about his heart and work ethic as well as his two way play. In a first round that featured Zack Kassian, Magnus Paajarvi, Louis Leblanc, Jacob Josefson, and Philippe Paradis, most teams will be kicking themselves for not locking this dynamo down. He made the Avs right out of training camp, unheard of for someone taken in the 2^nd round. Now let’s hope the Avs can lock him for a decent prize and for a long time. Fun Fact: Carl Klingberg, Joonas Nattinen, and Scot Glennie were all ranked a lot higher than O’Reilly by Central Scouting.

At this point, with these two players, this could already be considered the best draft for the Avs. But just like every slap chop, mighty putty, and Sham-Wow commercial, wait! There’s More!

Enter Stefan Elliott. He has not been as great for the Avs as some people would have hoped, but in his last few showings, as well as down in Lake Erie, Elliott has really developed into a strong young defenseman. Look for him to be a 2^nd/3^rd pairing dman on the Avs in the next couple years. Elliott is a nice little pick at 49^th overall.

Enter newest NHL stud and Matt Cooke’s best friend Tyson Barrie. Anyone who watched an Avs game this year knows that his solid puck moving, OT loving, defenseman is going to be great, as long as players stay away from his MCL’s. Scratched frequently/minor league bound at the beginning of the year, Barrie found his confidence and gained Coach Roy’s trust and this allowed him to blossom into one of the great young defenseman in the NHL.

Out of all the bad that Avs management was doing in 2009, this draft was one saving grace for the scrubs who ran this team. The rest of the draft featured the usual late round busts in Keiran Millan, Gus Young, and Brandon Maxwell, but that’s ok because as of right now, the first 4 players the Avs selected are still with the team, and they’re still going.

So if you think we’re wrong and there is a better draft in Avs history (Not Nordiques) we’d love for youto tell us why!