CHICAGO – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club made seven selections at the 2017 NHL Draft held Friday and Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.
In all, the team selected three forwards, three defensemen and one goalie.
Below, the complete list of the Avalanche’s selections at the 2017 NHL Draft:
Defenseman Cale Makar was selected with the fourth overall pick during the first round of the draft on Friday.
Makar, 18, is the highest-ever draft pick from the AJHL, surpassing current Avalanche forward Joe Colborne, who was selected by the Boston Bruins with the 16th overall pick in 2008.
With the 32nd overall pick in the second round, the Avalanche chose Conor Timmins from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.
Timmins, 18, had a breakout season in 2016-17, finishing tied for fourth among league blueliners with 61 points.
The Avalanche picked Nick Henry from Regina of the WHL with the No. 94 overall pick in the fourth round. Henry, 17, registered 81 points in 72 games in his rookie campaign with the Pats this past season, finishing second among league rookies in all three statistical categories.
Goalie Petr Kvaca was the Colorado Avalanche second selection of the fourth round at 114th overall.
Kvaca, 19, has spent the last five seasons in the Ceske Budejovice system, where he finished with a league-best 1.41 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage in 18 games for the Tier II team this past season.
In the fifth round, the Avs chose forward Igor Shvyrev with the 125th overall pick. Internationally, the 18-year-old center represented Russia at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, contributing a point in five contests.
The Avs also nabbed forward Denis Smirnov in their sixth selection and 156th overall pick, from Penn State University. Smirnov, 19, led the nation in freshman scoring in 2016-17 (19g/28a/47p) and set single-season school records with 47 points and 28 assists.
Lastly, the Avalanche selected defenseman Nick Leiverman from Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota. The 18-year-old served as captain of the Eagles in 2016-17, totaling 34 points in 21 contests and adding four poings in two playoff games.
