The Avalanche was expected to select a defenseman with its first pick in Saturday’s NHL draft in Vancouver, British Columbia. But that was before Colorado acquired an established defenseman from the Calgary Flames, Jordan Leopold, and before chief scout Jim Hammett noticed Chris Stewart was still available at the 18th pick.
The Avs tabbed the hulking 6-foot-2, 226-pound Stewart with their first-round selection at General Motors Place.
It is heard often by scouts at drafts in any sport – “I can’t believe he was still available” – but the Avs truly couldn’t believe Stewart was still around at the 18th pick. Most predraft scouting surveys had Stewart going before that, possibly in the top 10.
Stewart played last season for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. In 62 games, he scored 37 goals and 50 assists, fourth overall in the league, with 118 penalty minutes and a plus-19. He is considered a power forward, a player who can score and bang in the corners.
Stewart did not show well at the recent NHL scouting combine in Toronto. He drew criticism for being overweight. The Avs aren’t concerned about offseason numbers on the weight scale.
“We had him very high on our list,” Hammett said. “You don’t find a player who can skate like this combined with his size and toughness. A year ago, he took a year off to concentrate on football, and that kind of changed his body a little. But when we interviewed him, he said he wanted to drop a little weight and gain a little more speed. He’s a two-way player, with a great combination of size and skill. He’s not a fat 230 pounds. It’s muscle.”
Stewart, 18, has three years of junior eligibility left. But Hammett said he didn’t expect Stewart to stay in junior more than two seasons before turning pro. Stewart’s brother, Anthony, also played at Frontenac and is in the Florida Panthers’ system.
With their second pick in the draft (51st overall), the Avs selected 6-5, 220-pound defenseman Nigel Williams – signed to play at Wisconsin this fall. Williams, considered a hard-hitting defenseman, played for the U.S. national under-18 team last season.
“We’re really excited to get Nigel. He’s a big, untapped raw kid,” Hammett said. “The second half of the year, he got limited ice time in tournaments in Europe. But that worked to our favor, I think. He can do something at both ends of the ice.”
With the second-round selection the Avs obtained from Calgary in the deal that sent Alex Tanguay to the Flames, Colorado picked Codey Burki, a center with Brandon of the Western Hockey League.
“He’s a smooth-skating player, offensively-minded,” Hammett said.
The Avalanche chose 18-year-old Michael Carman with its fourth choice (81st overall). Carman, a 6-foot, 180-pound center, will play at Minnesota this fall after playing for the U.S. under-18 team.
