Colorado Avalanche Draft Profile: Two-Way Center Dylan Holloway

The Colorado Avalanche will have a late 20s pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Center Dylan Holloway is a good option if he falls that far.

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The Colorado Avalanche should be ready to Return to Play starting Monday. The players will be able to access team facilities in small groups. So, the majority of the team focus is likely on that.

However, the team also has a whole set of scouts whose only job is to ensure they pick up the best players. Well, one of the biggest moments for these scouts to shine is with the NHL Draft.

For the Avalanche scouts, the 2020 NHL Draft is going to be challenging. The team is high in the standings. So, that means they’re low in the draft order — #27, to be specific. By the time a team is picking in the late 20s, there are some holes in prospects’ games that scouts have to guesstimate if they can develop properly.

The last time Colorado selected in the 20s was in 2014 when they chose Conner Bleackley with the #23 pick. Oops. Let’s hope they do a little better this time.

One player who might have caught Colorado scouts’ attention is center Dylan Holloway. He’s ranked #12 for North American skaters by Central Scouting. Scouts have him going between #10 to #26, all of which is lower than the Avs’ pick. However, after the top-10, players easily drop lower than you expect.

With that in mind, let’s look at what the center has to offer.

Dylan Holloway Stats

Center Dylan Holloway is a late-September baby. Because of that fact, he’s a little older than many of his fellow prospects — he’s already 18 and ready to turn 19 this September. Indeed, he’s already graduated from high school and finished a year of college.

Holloway spent two years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League playing for the Okotoks Oilers. His first season saw him play just 2 8 games. In that time, he recorded 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists). His 2018029 season was much better. In 53 games, he recorded an impressive 88 points (40 goals, 48 assists).

Last season, Holloway dropped south of the border to play for the University of Wisconsin. That season as a young freshman rookie wasn’t quite as impressive. He earned 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points.

Dylan Holloway Highlights

The young center is known as being a two-way forward. He’s a stocky player at 6-foot and 193 pounds. Indeed, the Hockey Writers call him a “power forward” who will bring “grit and toughness” to his team. The add the following:

"“He has drive, determination, and a willingness to play in the tough areas of the ice while retrieving pucks and driving the play. His ability to play both centre and left-wing will go a long way in the development of his NHL career and with his size, skating, and hands I do not see why Holloway could not become a top-six centre/winger for [his team] at some point down the road.”"

Hey, I love a player that brings the while package.

Bill Placzek of DraftSite sees even more to value in the center:

"“Possesses a high level hockey IQ, strong balance, lateral quickness and turning ability. Will need to get a quicker first step, and refine his play in his own end. Very creative pivot who plays to control the mid-ice. Has soft hands and passing ability and a strong wrist shot. Possesses tremendous puckhandling ability and lateral quickness that propel him through the defensive layers.”"

Those are some great skills for a player to possess.

Let’s see the young man in action:

I’m going to say, Holloway seems to play bigger than his listed size.

Colorado Avalanche and Dylan Holloway

The scouts give Dylan Holloway a lot of praise that don’t come through in last season’s stats. So, it’s hard to know where he’ll get selected.

If he does fall to the #27 pick, I’ve got to think the Colorado Avalanche will snap him up. He’s got good skills, and he plays a big power game. Those are qualities the team would love to see developed.

The Colorado Avalanche will pick a player who needs some time to develop because that’s the nature of the prospect you get in the 20s. Dylan Holloway would make a great option at that pick if he’s still available.