Saturday is draft day for the Avalanche, which means another crop of largely unknown youngsters.
Jim Hammett, however, has file upon file on the worldwide prospects who will be selected at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Avalanche’s chief scout says he is confident the team will have a successful draft.
“It’s a good draft this year,” Hammett said. “It’s got some good depth to it. It might not have the kind of superstar-caliber players of the last draft, but we’re going to come away with some very good hockey players.”
The Avalanche is one of 11 teams with a selection in each of the first three rounds. Colorado’s first three picks are 18th, 51st and 81st, with the 18th selection the highest the team has picked in the first round since 2000, when Vaclav Nedorost was selected at No. 14.
Barring a trade, the Avs will have six selections in the seven- round draft – reduced from the nine rounds of previous years.
Hammett said the Avs will have a “best player available” philosophy with their top picks. The Avs have not had a top-10 pick since moving to Denver, a testament to their success on the ice, but a factor that has made Hammett’s job tough.
“We’re going in with the same attitude, that we want players with good skill, speed and character,” Hammett said. “We think we’ll come away with those kinds of players.”
Don’t be surprised if the Avs look hard at defensemen early. The Avs have selected forwards with their top pick in three of the past four drafts, and their first five picks in last year’s draft were forwards.
There figures to be quality defensemen available at No. 18, including Bob Sanguinetti from Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League; Mark Mitera of the University of Michigan; Chris Summers, an incoming freshman at Michigan and Ty Wishart from Prince George.
All four defensemen are 18 years old and 6-feet-1 or taller, with Sanguinetti having what scouts consider the most upside offensively.
Hammett has the final say in who is selected, but will brief new general manager Francois Giguere before each pick. The team’s scouting staff has been beefed up in recent years, including the addition of a part-time scout in Moscow that Hammett said has “made a big difference.”
Giguere will sit alongside Hammett in his first draft as the Avs’ new GM. Giguere said the draft is the “foundation of any organization.”
“We’re excited about this draft, and we have complete faith in our scouting staff,” Giguere said. “They have always done a great job, and we feel we’re going to add more depth to our system.”
Unlike last year, when Sidney Crosby was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut favorite this time, although many scouts predict incoming University of Minnesota defenseman Erik Johnson will be the top pick. Johnson reminds some of Edmonton star Chris Pronger.
The draft begins at 4 p.m., with the first round broadcast on OLN. In addition to its first three picks, the Avalanche will have picks at Nos. 141, 171 and 201.
The team does not have a fourth-round pick, having traded it last season to Chicago for forward Jim Dowd.
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
NHL draft
What: Seven-round draft
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
TV: First-round on OLN
Colorado picks: Nos. 18, 51, 81, 141, 171 and 201
