Rick Pracey flipped the cliche of most scouts. Instead of saying the usual: “We can’t believe he was still available at our pick,” the Avalanche chief scout figured Joachim Nermark would still be available when the Avs resumed selections in the fourth round of the NHL draft on Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.
“When you do your networking and put your feelers out there, it was almost like the thought that he would still be around,” Pracey said. “We figured it would still be nice if he was there, but we weren’t too sure. But we were glad he was.”
Nermark, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound center who played for Linkoping of the Swedish League last season, was taken 93rd overall. The Avs also made three other selections Saturday: center Garrett Meurs, defenseman Gabriel Beaupre and defenseman Dillon Donnelly.
Nermark can be classified as a once-highly touted prospect that slipped some in the draft because of a tough season. He was once considered a possible first-round selection, but injuries and a so-so statistical output for Linkoping dropped his value. Pracey thought the native of Sunne, Sweden, was a worthwhile gamble at 93.
“We think he’s a good two-way player, and very smart,” Pracey said. “We’re waiting to see how the offense is going to progress. We think it may come, but believe he’s still going to be a reliable player to have.”
Nermark, 18, had eight goals and 18 assists in 37 games for Linkoping. He played for Sweden in the Ivan Hlinka world junior under-18 tournament last year.
“We believe he’ll be in the Swedish Elite League this year,” Pracey said. “We’ll see how he develops.”
Meurs, 18, was taken 123rd overall, and played last season for Plymouth of the OHL, compiling 10 goals and 30 assists in 68 games for the Whalers as a 5-10, 169-pound player. Pracey said he also is better than his statistics showed.
“He just had one of those draft years. We think he had a tough year,” Pracey said. “But although he’s slight, he’s competitive.”
In Beaupre, 18, the Avs get a 6-2, 200-pound defender who plays for Val d’Or of the QMJHL.
“He’s a big, defensive defenseman who moves well,” Pracey said. “We’re not looking for offensive production from him, just looking for defensive presence.”
Donnelly, the son of former longtime NHL player Gord Donnelly, is known as a rough, tough brawler of a defenseman. He posted one goal and 153 penalty minutes in 63 games for Shawinigan (QMJHL).
“He’s an interesting one for us,” Pracey said. “Being in the seventh round, we were looking for an element. He’s a tough customer.”
Pracey believes the Avs came away with a good haul at the draft, beginning with first-round picks Gabriel Landeskog (No. 2 overall) and Duncan Siemens (No. 11).
Both players sat at the Avs’ draft table Saturday.
“I thought that was a really nice sign for both guys,” Pracey said. “They probably could have said they had better things to do, but they wanted to be there with us, and be part of the process.”
