Colorado Avalanche: Draft Lottery Over, Tenth Pick Looms
By Ross Sellers
Offensive Defenseman
Jake Bean
Height: 6 foot 1
Weight: 172 pounds
Age: 17
Shoots: Left
Bean played in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen, and he had 64 points in 68 games this season, which was good enough for sixth in the WHL for defensemen. He is a gifted young defenseman that will take some time to develop, but has a lot of potential.
Here’s what Elite Prospects have to say about him:
"A shifty and intelligent defenceman that plays with panache and poise. An excellent skater that is a good puck-carrier up the ice. Makes very good decisions with and without the puck, and plays strong positionally. Works hard and doesn’t give the opposition much to work with, but could stand to be a bit more assertive during high pressure situations. That being said, he is not a one dimentional player. He displays natural talent in the offensive end, but also plays a complete defensive game in his own end. He has a proactive stick and boxes the opposition out, limiting lanes. All-in-all, the type of all-around defenceman that you want to have on the ice as much as possible. (Curtis Joe, EP 2016) –"
Most of the rankings have him going in the mid teens this summer, with the highest ranking coming at 12th overall. Still, he could go earlier in the draft, and the Avs might consider giving him a shot, especially if they trade Tyson Barrie this summer.
Nonetheless, he’s a little small for the breed of player currently inhabiting the Avalanche roster, and Patrick Roy has been wary in the past about selecting a defenseman early in the draft.
That’s why Mr. Bean is the first slide because he’s probably the least likely to get drafted by the Avs.
Next: Mikhail Sergachev