The Colorado Avalanche originally had two selections in the 2025 NHL Draft, a fourth and seventh-round pick, but ended up acquiring a third-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets after sending off Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood in that same trade. With that selection, which was their first of the draft, they took defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce.
Dell’Elce is a 6’1”, 181 lb left-shot defenseman. In hockey, that would mean that he would generally play as the left-side defenseman as opposed to the right side. A side note, the Avalanche currently have three left-shots out of their seven active defensemen.
The 20 year old Dell’Elce has been passed over in the NHL Entry Draft three times, but found his way into teams’ eyes this year. To go from undrafted in several different draft classes to being a third-round pick has got to be a good feeling for him. I love the fact that he didn’t let go of his dream of playing in the NHL. If a player gets passed over that many times, it could feel very defeating for him. However, he believes in his abilities and that’s part of what got him to where he is today.
His big frame allows him to take control of the puck and keep it away from opposing teams, while he can fight for the puck, as his fight is definitely noticed.
Dell’Elce was quoted following his selection by the Avalanche:
"“The high-caliber players that play here, I think there’s a lot of guys that I watch and kind of look up to and try and model my game after,” Dell’Elce said. “So I was really excited.”"Avalanche’s Francesco Dell’Elece
Nobody, not even Dell’Elce, can match the playing style or production from the likes of Cale Makar. Additionally, nobody’s going to ask him to be that. I suppose that he could potentially look up to model his game after a player such as Sam Malinski, who just needed a chance to make an impact in the NHL. Malinski was given one and made the most of it last season and he’s looking for an even bigger role in 2025-26.
The Hockey Writers says that Dell’Elce is good with finding lanes and taking shots to the net. When it comes to the Avalanche, that is definitely something the team needs help with. Who knows when or even if he’ll make it up to the Avalanche roster.
Following Dell’Elce’s selection to the Avalanche, UMass head coach Greg Carvel had this to say about the 20 year old:
""After an outstanding freshman season on the ice, where Francesco earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors, it was not surprising to see him taken so high in the NHL draft," said Carvel. "Francesco should be one of the top defensemen in a very good Hockey East conference over the next couple of years. If Francesco can continue to develop at the rate that he did in his freshman season, he will prove to be a great pick by the Colorado Avalanche.""Greg Carvel, UMass HC
He won’t be an impact for the Avalanche for at least a couple of years. Who knows if he will even ever be, but all it takes is one team to take a chance on you. He has a chip on his shoulder after being passed over in the NHL Entry Draft three times.
Being passed over in the NHL Draft that many times has got to be frustrating for Dell’Elce, but at the same time, it should fuel him to be the very best player that he can be. Though his path to the biggest hockey league in the world has been rocky, he’s still gotten a good share of experience, and his hockey knowledge just continues to grow.