2025-26 Colorado Avalanche Top Prospects
| McKeen’s Hockey Apr. 25th, 2026 |
Scott Wheeler The Athletic Mar. 13th, 2026 |
Adam Kimelman NHL.com Aug. 6th, 2025 |
Hayden Soboleski Dobber Prospects Aug. 2nd, 2025 |
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| 1 | Ilya Nabokov (G) | Gavin Brindley (C) | Mikhail Gulyayev (D) | Ilya Nabokov |
| 2 | Mikhail Gulyayev (LHD) | Ilya Nabokov (G) | Gavin Brindley (F) | Daniil Guschin |
| 3 | Sean Behrens (LHD) | Mikhail Gulyayev (LHD) | Sean Behrens (D) | Gavin Brindley |
| 4 | Francesco Dell’Elce (LHD) | Sean Behrens (LHD) | Ilya Nabokov (G) | Max Curran |
| 5 | Trent Miner (G) | Francesco Dell’Elce (LHD) | Nikita Prishchepov (F) | Christian Humphreys |
| 6 | Nikita Prishchepov (C) | Trent Miner (G) | Zakhar Bardakov | |
| 7 | Christian Humphreys (RW) | Nikita Prishchepov (C/LW) | Sean Behrens | |
| 8 | Louka Cloutier (G) | Louka Cloutier (G) | Ivan Ivan | |
| 9 | Alex Gagne (LHD) | Jack Fisher (C) | Mikhail Gulyayev | |
| 10 | Linus Funck (RHD) | Christian Humphreys (RW) | Nikita Prishchepov |
** Different sites can use different criteria for determining who is still a prospect. Also, for Dobber Prospect lists they take a fantasy hockey approach – prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL.
Gavin Brindley – He’s a tenacious forechecker and reliable in defensive zone coverage, always in motion, attacking passing lanes, and bouncing around defenders to find open space—especially on the power play. He anticipates plays ahead of time and moves to support them, giving him strong two-way instincts.
Mikhail Gulyayev – Gulyayev is a highly intelligent, creative, undersized offensive defenseman who “skates like the wind” and moves the puck at a quick pace. He creates lots of controlled exits and entries, projects to run power plays at higher levels, and can be a point producer versus men. He’s a cerebral offensive mind with strong mobility, but his size raises questions about how well he’ll defend in the NHL.
Ilya Nabokov – He’s proactive and confident in the crease, taking away space from shooters with explosive pushes and getting set immediately. His post details are strong, he has a solid hinge to stay on angle, and he understands how to utilize reverse-VH effectively. He gets to pucks, recovers quickly, sticks with scrambles, tracks well through traffic, and stays controlled, though he lacks Juuse Saros-style elite quick-twitch.
Sean Behrens – He surfs backwards with perfect posture, a blend of risk-mitigating footwork and graceful crossunders, and a good sense of when to close. He scans regularly off the puck, cuts opponents off at the hands from a low center of gravity, ties up loose sticks, and mitigates risk with his positioning. His motor never stops running, and he helped Denver win the 2024 NCAA national championship before signing a three-year ELC and making his pro debut with Colorado’s AHL affiliate.
Trent Miner – Miner is a high-risk, moderate-reward goaltender with solid technical fundamentals and elite anticipation. Miner is a late-round steal who developed into a reliable AHL starter with elite hockey sense and technical polish, but his NHL ceiling is limited by smaller size and modest quickness; he’s best suited as a backup or depth goalie.
2025 Colorado Avalanche Draft Picks
| Rd. | # | Player | Pos. | Team | Ht. | Wt. |
| 3 | 77 | Francesco Dell’Elce | D | Umass (H-East) | 6′ 1″ | 180 |
| 4 | 118 | Linus Funck | D | Lulea Jr. (SWE-Jr.) | 6′ 3″ | 183 |
| 7 | 214 | Nolan Roed | C | Tri-City (USHL) | 5′ 11″ | 186 |
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