2026-27 Colorado Avalanche Top Prospects

** 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.

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.

Egor Shilov – He’s a highly creative offensive center whose game is built around excellent puck skills, vision, hockey sense, and the ability to control the pace of play. He is particularly dangerous with the puck on his stick, using deceptive hands and strong edgework to create space before finding teammates through difficult passing lanes, while a quick release gives him legitimate scoring ability as well.

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.

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.

2026 Colorado Avalanche Draft Picks

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