The Colorado Avalanche, as is the case with virtually every contending team, won’t have any picks in the early rounds. This year, the Avalanche recouped a third-rounder in the Ross Colton trade with the Nashville Predators.
As such, the Avs will now see their first pick come up 74th overall. Now, that may not seem like an overly impressive spot to pick in, but it could provide a shot at a solid, under-the-radar prospect.
In the full mock draft by Tankathon, the Avs are projected to take Victor Plante with their third-round selection. Plante is an American forward coming out of the US Development Team (USDP) in the USHL.
The 18-year-old is committed to the NCAA next season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. As such, he’ll be away at college honing his skills. Still, he has to be one of the most interesting mid-round picks.
This past season, Plante scored 21 goals and 48 points in 57 games with the USDP. He also played 20 games for the USNTDP Juniors, scoring eight goals and 18 points in 20 games. He was a part of Team USA at the World Juniors, scoring one goal and five points in five games.
Based on those numbers, you would think that Plante could rank higher. However, he’s a bit undersized at 5’1” and 163 pounds. So, that’s something that scouts might be looking at as a drawback.
Elite Prospects offered an encouraging description of Plante’s overall skill set.
“Plante has an NHL-level feel for exploiting coverages, pulling checks out of space, slipping pucks to teammates against the grain, attacking defenders, and executing in motion.”
NHL Central Scouting has Plante as the #42 North American skater. His highest rank is #22 by the THN/Ferrari rating.
To be fair, Plante doesn’t leap off the page as a future top-six forward. But he doesn’t have the skill set to become another Gavin Brindley-type player. If that’s the case, there’s a very good chance that the Avalanche could find a solid middle-six piece in a relatively overlooked spot.
The Avalanche need prospect depth and are in no rush to bring him up to the NHL. So, Plante can take his time honing his skills as he eventually transitions to pro hockey.
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