The Colorado Avalanche aren’t currently in need of immediate help from their recent draft picks, but it appears that one player drafted in this year’s class is on a good path.
Beckett Hamilton, who was selected 74th overall in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft, has been lighting up the WHL this season. Through nine games for the Red Deer Rebels, Hamilton has nine goals and 11 assists. Though his rating is just plus-3, he is already showing some offensive power that can help the Avalanche at a later time.
In 134 games over the past two seasons, Hamilton had 38 goals and 49 assists, while producing on a team that didn’t have a ton of talent surrounding him. He was their leading scorer and point producer at 24 goals and 38 assists, and it isn’t even close. The next closest point total was 38.
It wouldn’t surprise me if we see Hamilton continue to do well in the WHL and then eventually get called up to the Colorado Eagles. He won’t be viewed as a top-six forward for the Avalanche as the team already has two star centers, but he could add some depth for Colorado’s bottom-six. It’s also possible—and perhaps likely—that the Avalanche view Hamilton as an up-and-coming winger, which some draft profiles mention as the preferred landing spot in the lineup.
"The creativity comes in flashes, but those flashes are very impressive and the tools in terms of skating and pure skill could carry him to be a legit offensive player in the NHL."Thomas Gagné, Smaht Scouting
The Avalanche love drafting players who can fit in multiple areas in a lineup. The fact that Hamilton is a guy who fits at both center and winger is great news for him in the NHL. Even if he never ends up playing for the Avalanche (We saw a quick exit from Calum Ritchie in the Brock Nelson trade), he has a place in the NHL.
Colorado could use Hamilton’s speed and versatility in several different ways. With the creativity that head coach Jared Bednar produces in the Avalanche’s system, Hamilton could fit in well and maybe even become a matchup nightmare.
Hamilton is also the captain of the Red Deer Rebels, a quality the Avalanche are also heavily interested in, given their strong bond between the current roster (Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas). Perhaps Hamilton could step into that type of role in a couple of years. Unfortunately, Landeskog, who is the Avalanche captain now, won’t be around forever.
At some point, the Avalanche will have a shift in talent and personality with the departures of some key players. It’s possible Hamilton is a key to that shift in a different direction in a couple of years. He is doing a good job of making his name known while in college. Hopefully that translates well into the NHL.
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