The Colorado Avalanche could look to college free agency to bolster their defense and goal tending depth even further.
The Colorado Avalanche may have already wrapped up their free agency for the summer. However, you can never have too much young depth, especially for a team as dedicated to the youth movement as the Avalanche.
Right now, the Avalanche look good on defense. They have their foundational players in the form of Erik Johnson, Nikita Zadorov, Tyson Barrie and Sam Girard. They also have some exciting prospects coming up the ranks, especially Conor Timmins and Cale Makar.
Besides that, Colorado does have some journeymen to fill in the gaps. However, as we’ve seen with teams like the Nashville Predators, there’s no such thing as a glut of defensive depth.
In the last couple years, the Avs have looked to the NCAA for depth signings, most recently with Alexander Kerfoot and Dominic Toninato. Perhaps they’ll look for a little extra defense in college again.
Alec McCrea
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 23
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 212 lbs
College: Cornell University
The first thing you might notice about Alec McCrea is that he’s got good size. As Last Word on Sports point out, McCrea isn’t afraid to make good use of his size. He’s especially adept at fighting in the corners and in front of the net. That said, he won’t get out of position to make a big hit — he just lets the play come naturally.
More than a physical player, though, McCrea is an excellent skater who uses positioning and stick skills to cut down shooting and passing lanes. He’s going to be a senior at Cornell. In his three years, he’s recorded 37 points (9 goals, 28 assists). His best season was his freshman year when he recorded 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists).
Grant Hutton
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 23
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205 lbs
College: Miami University
Miami University is not the first place you think of as a hockey school. Except defenseman Grant Hutton is attending the Ohio version. In his sophomore year, he started wearing the A as alternate, and leadership is always a good quality. He also stepped up his game. His sophomore year, he earned 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists). His junior year, he recorded 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists).
As his numbers suggest, Hutton is a mobile defenseman who likes to go on the attack. According to Last Word on Sports, he does indeed have some playmaker as well as trigger-man. Not only is Hutton a strong skater, but he also has reliable stick skills.
Cale Morris
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Age: 22
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 lbs
College: University of Notre Dame
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Yes, technically Cale Morris isn’t exactly a defenseman so much as the last line of defense for the team. However, as much as the Avs have done in the last couple years to bolster their goal tending depth, they can still use some prospects — especially those located in North America.
Morris has been very impressive with Notre Dame. He took over the starting position as a sophomore, recording a 1.92 goals against average and .945 save percentage. He’s excellent at tracking the puck and moving side to side in the butterfly.
I’d say Cale Morris is a goalie the Colorado Avalanche want to watch. Let him get another year as a starter out of the way. As a boon, he’s a local boy — he was born in Larkspur, Colorado.
The Colorado Avalanche have 47 of their 50 available contracts secured, so they don’t necessarily have so much room for signings. However, if a college free agent presented himself as a boon to the team, they still could sign him.