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Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic could have slept in Thursday before setting up shop at Bridgestone Arena if they wanted.
The Avalanche waited almost four rounds to make their first selection on the second day of the 2023 NHL draft. Then they proceeded to prioritize defensemen in the rebuild of their farm system.
At No. 155 late in the fifth round, the Avalanche picked another Russian blueliner, Nikita Ishimnikov. Then at No. 187 in the sixth, they selected Seattle Thunderbirds assistant captain Jeremy Hanzel, another D-man. Their final pick at No. 219 was Slovakian center Maros Jedlicka.
Colorado made five total picks in the draft, using three of its first four on defensemen starting with Mikhail Gulyayev at No. 31 in the first round.
Ishimnikov is the opposite of Gulyayev in many ways. Gulyayev thrives offensively in spite of his size; Ishimnikov’s skill set is based around his strength. At 6-foot-3, he has 5 inches on Gulyayev but doesn’t profile as the most proficient skater. He still produces points with a blistering shot, which helped him tally 11 goals in 41 games last season in the Russian junior league. He added six points in seven playoff games.
Hanzel and Jedlicka are older prospects, both joining the Avalanche organization at 20 years old. Hanzel has already been through the draft process before. He put up 48 points in 66 Western Hockey League games in 2022-23. Jedlicka registered 35 points (17 goals) in 39 games in his home country last season.
Hanzel and Ishimnikov join an Avalanche blueline pipeline headlined by Sean Behrens of the University of Denver.
Here’s the complete 2023 draft class:
No. 27, first round: Calum Ritchie, center (Canada)
No. 31, first round: Mikhail Gulyayev, defenseman (Russia)
No. 155, fifth round: Nikita Ishimnikov, defenseman (Russia)
No. 187, sixth round: Jeremy Hanzel, defenseman (Canada)
No. 219, seventh round: Maros Jedlicka, center (Slovakia)
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