Colorado Avalanche: Likely Upcoming Prospect Signings

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The Colorado Avalanche could offer entry-level contracts to several prospects from the last two drafts to build up their minor league team again.

Colorado Avalanche executives Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy are having to build two ways since taking over the reins of the team before the 2013-14 season. Not only are they trying to build a Stanley Cup-contending NHL team, they’re having to build for the future at the AHL level.

Unfortunately, the GM/executive vice president of hockey operations (Sakic) and head coach/VP of hockey operations (Roy) inherited a team on a shaky foundation. Too long the Avalanche had been drafting without vision, operating under the “best player available” model. Unfortunately, as the Edmonton Oilers can attest, you can’t build a team out of the same type of player over and over.

Roy and Sakic were still being advised by scout Rick Pracey for the 2013 and 2014 NHL drafts. The two-year window for signing players has passed for the 2013 draft, so presumably the Avs have signed who they want. However, they have until June 1st, to sign any players from the 2014 draft. What’s more, they selected seven players in the 2015 draft.

Not everyone who gets drafted gets offered a contract. That said, Colorado did just sign their fifth-round draft pick from 2014, Anton Lindholm. Let’s see four other players who might get a contract this summer.

Next: AJ Greer

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A.J. Greer

Position: Left Wing

Shoots: Left

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 204 pounds

Age: 19

Current Team: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL

Draft: 2015, 39th overall (2nd round)

A.J. Greer is a member of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, currently playing for the Memorial Cup. He didn’t even join the team until December of last year after starting his sophomore season with the Boston University Terriers. Indeed, he was only playing in Boston because they allowed him to enroll early, as a 17-year-old.

Greer is a power forward of the Gabriel Landeskog variety in that he can score as well as hit and grind. He has raw talent combined with excellent size for the NHL level.

Some of that talent comes in the form of strong skating and good agility. What’s more, he has a solid work ethic and good character. All of this means he fits into the Colorado Avalanche mold.

Colorado has one more year to decide if they want to offer him an entry-level contract. However, Greer is another player Roy specifically mentioned on The Fan. I think the Avalanche could well decide to sign him this summer.

Next: Nicolas Meloche

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Nicolas Meloche

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 204 pounds

Age: 18 (19 in July)

Current Team: Baie-Comeau Drakkar/Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL

Draft: 2015, 40th overall (2nd round)

In the Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy era, the Colorado Avalanche like to select defensemen in the second round, and last year was no exception. The team selected defenseman Nicolas Meloche with their #40 pick.

Meloche is young — just 18 years old until mid-July. And big — 6-foot-3, 204 pounds as a teen. But like I said, young, and  a defenseman, who notoriously take longer to develop.

That said, he’s showing good maturity. Before he got traded to the Gatineau Olympiques, Meloche was serving as an alternate captain for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. On the ice, he’s got excellent positioning and awareness.

Nicolas Meloche is talented, too. He’s made the QMJHL All Stars two years in a row. A two-way defenseman, he’s got good puck-moving ability. One area that does need some work is his speed.

Here’s how Bill Placzek of Draft Site describes Meloche’s style:

“He takes attackers to the outside, with good gaps and timing. Outstanding in his own end. Retrieves many of those pucks and quickly advances them with quick outs. Reads the outlets and is precise in his passes, causing odd-man breaks at the other end.”

What’s more, Meloche isn’t afraid to use his size — in every way possible. He’s one mean boy on the ice.

Nicolas Meloche is another player that coach Roy mentioned on The Fan. Though so-young, he fits the Colorado Avalanche mold very well. The team has another year to decide on him, but I could see them wanting to enter the big, talented young man into the professional system sooner rather than later.

Next: Maximilian Pajpach

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Maximilian Pajpach

Position: Goalie

Catches: Left

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 207 pounds

Age: 20

Current Team: Tappara, Swedish Liiga

Draft: 2014, 174th overall (6th round)

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The Colorado Avalanche is a team about goalie depth — that shouldn’t be surprising considering their head coach/VP of player personnel is a Hall of Fame goalie.

The team already has a goal tending trio at the NHL level with Reto Berra and Calvin Pickard vying as Semyon Varlamov’s backup — or for Varlamov’s job, in the case of Pickard. Colorado’s 2013 third-round pick, Spencer Martin, is already in the system on an entry-level contract. However, both Sami Aittokallio and Roman Will have committed to playing in Europe next season.

That means there could be a spot open for Maximilian Pajpach.

He’s an outlier, for sure. He played a lot in the under-developed Slovak league throughout his career. He joined the Swedish junior league for the 2014-15 season but didn’t see any real time with them. In 22 games this last season, he recorded a 3.77 goals against average and .874 save percentage. Yeah, like a said, an outlier.

However, Colorado could sign him to a low-cost, entry-level contract with the understanding that he’d have to work himself out of the ECHL Fort Wayne Komets to even make the AHL San Antonio Rampage.

Next: Alexis Pepin