The Colorado Avalanche have spent years building around Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and a veteran core, and that all-in approach has pushed their prospect pool to the very bottom of the NHL.
That’s the verdict from The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, who ranked all 32 organizations by their prospects and players under 23. Colorado landed at No. 32, with the San Jose Sharks taking the top spot.
San Jose’s rise came from a loaded young core led by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini and 2023 No. 4 selection Will Smith, plus another elite addition in 2026 No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg. The Sharks have also kept adding to the group with names like Sam Dickinson, Michael Misa, Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin.
Colorado’s situation is the opposite. The Avalanche have operated like a contender for years, not a rebuilding club, and that has left them without much draft capital.
They’ve traded each of their first-round picks dating back to the 2024 NHL draft, and they don’t own their first-round picks in 2027 or 2028 either. On top of that, they’ve moved recent top prospects Max Curran and Calum Ritchie.
That leaves the organization with a thinner crop of young players than most teams in Pronman’s ranking.
There are still a few names Colorado is hoping will grow into real NHL pieces. Gavin Brindley is one, after a brief but solid stint with the club last year.
The Avalanche also have young defensemen Mikhail Gulyayev and Sean Behrens in the system. Goaltender Ilya Nabokov is another intriguing piece in the organization, though at 23 years old he falls outside Pronman’s ranking.
Being last on the list doesn’t automatically mean the Avalanche are in trouble. It’s what happens when a team keeps chasing the Stanley Cup instead of stocking up for the future. Colorado has already won one, and it’s still trying to win another.
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