Name some "off the board" players the Avs might want at 11th

[DeVries*]

My money on Grimaldi. I just imagine a Duchesne-Stewart-Grimaldi line. Perfect match.

 

[Christian Litscher]

My money on Grimaldi. I just imagine a Duchesne-Stewart-Grimaldi line. Perfect match.

Duchene. And Stewart's gone.

 

[DeVries*]

Duchene. And Stewart's gone.

Woah, sorry for the major brain fart. Too much beer on this sunny day I guess !

 

[zjh]

I could honestly see them reaching for a defensman at 11, whether it be Mayfield, Klefbom, or anyone else. As for reaching for a forward I dont see it happening. The guys ranked in the 10-15 area just all seem like really good prospects with great chances of becoming NHLers. The one forward they might reach for would be JT Miller. Kid seems like the complete package. I don't see any reason for the Avs to reach to get someone. They have a great oppourtunity to add to their rebuild, so if they have a player in mind that will be available later, then trade down for more picks. My mock has them taking Bartschi, which just seems like a safe, good pick. But if Mr. Sherman wants to try and hit a home-run, all the power to him.

 

[Christian Litscher]

Woah, sorry for the major brain fart. Too much beer on this sunny day I guess !

Haha all good, you may be right about Grimaldi.

 

[Kid Canesten]

if they're looking to reach, i could see colorado looking to trade down to grab a 2nd round pick or two to add to their system. we've heard it enough times, the difference between the mid-first round to the early latter of the second round is not as noticeable as past years.

but in response to the op, oleksiak would look nice next to one of their pmd's as a future pairing.

 

[ManByng]

"Off the board" doesn't automatically mean a wasted pick.

but 11 in my opinion is too high to be going off the board....the Oilers tried it years ago with Alexi Mikonov and Jesse Niinimaaki and got burned.....i understand what the OP was saying, i'm just saying you really should go with the BPA when drafting that high. at least if the pick doesn't turn out, you can save face by saying "we took the best player available"

 

[ManByng]

if they're looking to reach, i could see colorado looking to trade down to grab a 2nd round pick or two to add to their system.

i wonder if the Avs would trade #11 to the Oilers for #19 and #62?

 

[Freudian]

It'll probably be a forward if we reach this year. Avs don't seem to have a good feeling when it comes to picking defensive gems out.

I don't think Puempel is even a reach at #11. Only for ranking services that over-correct for his surgery.

I could see Avs really liking Jurco if he is driven enough.

 

[R S]

you never want to waste a #11 overall pick....i just can't see Mayfield, Connor Murphy, Catenacci, Lessio, etc. getting picked ahead of players like Oleksiak, Bartschi, McNeill, Siemens, guys like this. at 11, you really should just go with the best player available.

but 11 in my opinion is too high to be going off the board....the Oilers tried it years ago with Alexi Mikonov and Jesse Niinimaaki and got burned.....i understand what the OP was saying, i'm just saying you really should go with the BPA when drafting that high. at least if the pick doesn't turn out, you can save face by saying "we took the best player available"

My point is that every teams list is different. Hishon was considered a reach by many last year, but not by the Avs. McIlrath was considered a reach by many last year, but not by the Rangers.

You can say, "just take the BPA"...but maybe the BPA to them IS a player that's considered a reach by some.

 

[Chainshot]

My point is that every teams list is different. Hishon was considered a reach by many last year, but not by the Avs. McIlrath was considered a reach by many last year, but not by the Rangers.

You can say, "just take the BPA"...but maybe the BPA to them IS a player that's considered a reach by some.

Exactly. Each team has their own board and they will take the player they rate highest. It happens every year and of course the response of deviation from all of the numerous consensus-based media (be it TSN, THN, Redline, McKeens, TSR, or any of the available press materials out there) tends to be steeped in over-reaction. And what's funny is how often those non-consensus picks work out -- I'm thinking of guys like Forsberg or Morris or even Blake Wheeler. Heck, there was even some rumblings about Skinner last year and that seems to have worked out in Carolina's favor.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Matthew Puempel definitely.

 

[Subzero]

I personally feel that the Avs will take either Puempel or Miller, but I would not count out Jonathan Gibson. The Avs were ready to take Campbell last year at #17 but Dallas took him at 11. They then took Pickard in the 2nd round at #47. With no picks in the 2nd or 3rd this draft (yet), they might feel that it is acceptable to spend a high pick on a kid like Gibson and just let him develop.

A Goalie in Hockey, can be argued, is as important as an Ace pitcher in Baseball or a Quarterback in Football. You need one that is among the "Elite" status or you can't seriously contend. The more depth you have at those positions, the greater value you can get in return for trading away those assets.

 

[Seachd]

but 11 in my opinion is too high to be going off the board....the Oilers tried it years ago with Alexi Mikonov and Jesse Niinimaaki and got burned.....i understand what the OP was saying, i'm just saying you really should go with the BPA when drafting that high. at least if the pick doesn't turn out, you can save face by saying "we took the best player available"

As others have said, "BPA" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone.

Every year, even as high as #11, if all 30 teams could tell you who they'd take when that pick came around, I bet you'd get at least 10 different answers.

Even last year, we can guess that a lot of teams would have taken Fowler if they had been in Dallas' position, but I bet a lot of them wouldn't have.

 

[nanzenkills]

It’s well known that every team has a different draft board. If one team has shown that they have a much different board then others, it’s the Colorado Avalanche. They proved that last year when they grabbed Joey Hishon in round 1, 17th overall. Hishon was considered a mid-2nd round pick according to most at that time.

The Avs have two picks in round 1 at 2nd and 11th overall. There has been much debate over what they do at number 2, but I am also very intrigued to see what they could do at 11th overall come Friday. I figured I would start this up to see what other people might think about who they could be targeting if they decide to go “off the boardâ€. I’ve seen a lot of Duncan Siemens and Sven Bartschi being listed as going to the Avs but I wouldn’t be shocked if the Avs did something a bit more surprising.

It’s an established fact the Avs pick using a Best Player Available (BPA) strategy based off 3 things: Skill, Character and Compete.

Here are a few players I think could be targeted if the Avs decide to go a bit “off the boardâ€.

Daniel Catenacci – FW – OHL – Speed personified. The best wheels in the draft. Likely projects to be a Darren Helm type of player but he really does suit what the Avs seem to be after, speedy players with high character. Is ranked in the late 1st to early 2nd.

Philip Danault – FW – QMJHL – The captain of Victoriaville at the age of 17. A great skater with high end speed. Will go through a wall for his team. Some say he compares to Michael Bournival, a guy who the Avs drafted a couple of years ago before trading him to Montreal for Ryan O’Byrne this year. Is ranked mostly in the mid 2nd.

Nick Cousins – FW – OHL – Not a big player but he’s very well rounded. Has good hands and battles hard in the corners. Wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Avs were more interested in Cousins then most teams are. Is ranked mostly in the late 2nd and into the 3rd.

Connor Murphy – D – US NTDP – A big right handed defenseman that spent most of the year battling injuries. Is also the son of Gord Murhpy. Has pro size and had a very strong under 18 tournament this April as team USA won gold. Is ranked mostly in the late 1st and early 2nd.

Scott Mayfield – D – USHL – A huge defenseman that skates well and plays with a major edge. Also is a strong passer with some offensive upside hidden behind a very terrible team this past season. Is also a Denver recruit, which might help his cause. Is ranked mostly in the late 1st and early 2nd.

Boone Jenner – FW – OHL – Screams captain and leader at the NHL level. A terrible skating stride but manages to put up offensive totals despite that fact. Has drawn comparisons to the Avs Ryan O’Reilly. I guarantee the Avs have interest in this guy. Is ranked anywhere from the mid 1st to early 2nd.

Lucas Lessio – FW – OHL – A teammate of Jenner who seems to be an all round very solid player. Have heard concerns about his overall hockey sense and “mind†for the game. Has a very intriguing skillset that wouldn’t be missed by Avs scouts in my opinion. Is ranked anywhere from late 1st to early 3rd.

JT Miller – FW - US NTDP – Definitely not a huge “reach†as some of the others listed, but he is an intriguing player ranked later in the 1st round. Has drawn comparisons to a player like Ryan Kesler of Vancouver. Got size, defensive and offensive skills. Is ranked anywhere from mid 1st to early 2nd.

Jamie Oleksiak – D – Northeastern Univ. – A mountain at 6’7 and likely still room to grow. Dominated the combine physically and some of the testers there said he could possibly play at around 275 pounds. Not great either offensively or defensively but is more than competent in the two way game. Some people say he plays like Tyler Myers because of his skating, while he’s also drawn comparisons to an octopus because of his reach. Just like Miller, he’s also not necessarily a big reach at 11th overall. Is ranked anywhere from mid 1st to late 1st.


These are just a few players that I think the Avs could be targeting at 11th overall. With that being said, I still hope they are riding along with the ‘consensus’ and do nab a player like Duncan Siemens, Mark McNeill or someone who might fall like Mika Zibanejad or Ryan Strome.


http://whl-from-above.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-avs-go-off-board-at-11th-overall.html

If the Avs go off the board, I could see them doing it with Connor Murphy. Murphy was injured a lot of this year, similar to Joey Hishon last year, and likely would be ranked significantly higher than he is right now if he had played a full season. He was outstanding at the U-18, and his performance at the combine showed that he's at full health again.

I can see us picking Puempel, too, but he wouldn't be an off the board pick at #11, imo.

I'm not sure that I see Puempel on the Avs. He's one of the best natural goal scorers in this draft, but I keep hearing that his compete level is inconsistent. If that is true, I really can't see the Avs being interested in him as a first rounder.

 

[Holyhell]

They don't have 32, it went to STL as part of that mega deal.

SEPH, Stewart and Shattenkirk were dealt to shake things up more than anything else, not because they were disappointed in them like it was the case for Wolski.

Actually, the Avs made the deal to bring in a potential franchise defenseman, a shake up at that point would have been fruitless.

OT: I don't see Colorado going that off the board with their 11th pick, but anyone ranked in the 1st round is a definite possibility.

 

[Dylonus]

They'll likely go with a player with very high offensive potential.

Sven Bartschi is going to Colorado at 11 IMO

 

[Mojo19]

If they were to take any of those players you selected... the Avalanche might as well move down. At least they would get another pick or two for compensation.

 

[R S]

If they were to take any of those players you selected... the Avalanche might as well move down. At least they would get another pick or two for compensation.

I would normally say the same thing. I said it last year about Hishon.

But, if they like a player enough, they likely won't gamble on him still being there later on. That's what they said about Hishon last year too. They said a team just behind them had interest in him and they weren't about to risk him being taken.

 

[Valley Boys]

Not 'off-board,' but if Beaulieu was there at 11, I think he would be a great pick for the AVs.

Maybe there's not enough flash in his game to translate to highlight reels - but each time I see this guy play I come away with being impressed by how smart he is with the puck. Good size, great defensively, has the hands but read that this seasons has been working on making the simple play. Led the team in D scoring (over Despres).

Maybe he's overrated if you want someone with a higher ceiling for drafting that high, but I think he's a can't miss 2nd pairing D, who has the potential to be a #2 guy, a la Sutter.

 

[Zeroknowledge*]

Avs should take Huberdeau at 2 and Beaulieu at 11.

 

[R S]

Not 'off-board,' but if Beaulieu was there at 11, I think he would be a great pick for the AVs.

Maybe there's not enough flash in his game to translate to highlight reels - but each time I see this guy play I come away with being impressed by how smart he is with the puck. Good size, great defensively, has the hands but read that this seasons has been working on making the simple play. Led the team in D scoring (over Despres).

Maybe he's overrated if you want someone with a higher ceiling for drafting that high, but I think he's a can't miss 2nd pairing D, who has the potential to be a #2 guy, a la Sutter.

I want a D with more edge if we take a D at 11. Someone like Siemens or even Oleksiak would be my choice. Beaulieu is more of an offensive defender and our cupboard is stocked with those kinda guys.

 

[Zeroknowledge*]

I personally feel that the Avs will take either Puempel or Miller, but I would not count out Jonathan Gibson. The Avs were ready to take Campbell last year at #17 but Dallas took him at 11. They then took Pickard in the 2nd round at #47. With no picks in the 2nd or 3rd this draft (yet), they might feel that it is acceptable to spend a high pick on a kid like Gibson and just let him develop.

A Goalie in Hockey, can be argued, is as important as an Ace pitcher in Baseball or a Quarterback in Football. You need one that is among the "Elite" status or you can't seriously contend. The more depth you have at those positions, the greater value you can get in return for trading away those assets.

If they want Gibson they could most likely trade up twice pick up 2 second rounders and still pick him up.

 

[Valley Boys]

I want a D with more edge if we take a D at 11. Someone like Siemens or even Oleksiak would be my choice. Beaulieu is more of an offensive defender and our cupboard is stocked with those kinda guys.

That's fair. I thought Beaulieu was strong and surprisingly smart in the corners, but he didn't seem to play with any edge or nastiness.

Honest question, #11 seems like a relatively high pick to use on that kind of player. (I'm imagining, big, mean, but still fairly mobile) If the AVs are looking to add that kind of D prospect, do they seriously consider trading back to around #15 + a prospect in the mold of Patrick Wiercoch? Sorry if that's been covered ad nauseum on the AVs board.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Grimaldi or Catenacci