Mar 14, 2026
3 min read
Published by Calum Ritchie Will Zeller touches the hearts of fathers.He did so with just three picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Welcome to Scott Wheeler's 2026 rankings of prospects for every NHL organization.The full rankings and more information on the draft and criteria can be found here as we count down from 32 to 1 each day. The series, which includes ratings on nearly 500 prospects, runs from March 9th to April 8th.
The move from Calum Ritchie and Will Zeller impacted the Avalanche Basin, making three picks in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, and their demotion was a predictable result.
But Colorado's pool is still much stronger than the one behind it, and the first five of the 10 prospects ranked here are strong players and prospects.
Lead Pool Ranking 2025: #23 (change: -5)
1. Gavin Brindley, C, 21, Longsor (No. 34, 2023)
I've always had a lot of time for Brindley, so I was happy to see the Hurricanes give him a chance.He was one of the top three 2023 NHL prospects to play college hockey in his draft year, and he seemed to improve with every game at the University of Michigan that season, to the point where he had an impact in every game, including center and wings.He followed that up as a sophomore, leading the Wolverines in scoring, breaking the 50-point mark and finishing eighth in the NCAA in scoring and playing a big role (with a letter on his jersey and scoring several big goals) as Team USA made a run to gold at the World Junior Championships in Gothenburg.17 minutes per game as a rookie).I expected the Avs to start him in the AHL this season, but I wasn't surprised when he worked his way into their NHL mix.
Brindley is a high-level, arguably elite skater who quickly gets his extensions out (including a pause), excels on his edges, turns corners quickly and darts around the ice, hunting the puck and pushing through the hole.
He also has quick hands and a natural touch with the puck.He is effective in a small space game, using light passes and quick movements to play in and out of coverage.It was amazing for me through all levels and events over the years (NCAA, USHL, Five Nations, U18 World, two Junior Worlds, etc.) and quick, make some plays between coverage.He will buzz the ice and get out of a fight or get a chance to catch or get open for the next fight.It is always in motion.He will make the game easy in the middle of the glass from the perimeter, or go there to step back or put himself on screen / tips.He's very good in puck protection for the 5-foot-8/9 forward, moving away from coverage to make things happen on the boards.He often moves the puck to his lane, can drive plays with a lot of energy, and is a second unit player that has been appreciated for a long time due to his ability to skate, work and pressure on the PK.game in the offensive zone because of his mobility, strength and power, but I also saw him breathe and go side-to-side with an amazing transition package that includes the ability to take his first touchdown in stride, which is a good thing.
And he always seems to play well, whatever the role/usage/stage.He also has the tools/tools to play up and down (plus, he's strong for his size).That reduces concerns about his height (he certainly doesn't play small).
2. Ilya Nabokov, G, 22, Magnitogorsk (38th cent., 2024)
Nabokov is my No.1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and the first goalie selected, establishing himself as one of the top non-NHL goaltenders at a young age.He doesn't have perfect size (although I wouldn't call 6-foot-1 small either), but he was an MHL All-Star in 2022-23, KHL Rookie of the Year and Playoff MVP in 2023-24, held Magnitogorsk to the Gagarin Cup title, and was again one of the top goaltenders last season in the championship.His numbers weren't as strong this year, but he still won games.He is a very mobile and technically and positionally sound goaltender, who gets pucks, recovers quickly, stays out of turnovers and follows movement well, but also stays in control and has good hands.I don't see any difference in his game, and I expect him to play in the NHL and be really solid as an NHL goaltender.He is expected to arrive in North America after this season.
3. Miĥail Guljaev, LHD, 20, Omsko (n-ro 31, 2023)
Gulyaev is still only 20 years old and in his fourth KHL season (and third full).During that time, he also put together the most productive season by a 16-year-old defenseman in modern MHL history (since 2009), scoring 35 points in 54 games in his draft year and regularly playing 20 minutes per game in a league that typically relies on older players.He did so after scoring five points in five games as a young, 16-year-old Gretzky Cup clay player.But after playing 15-16 minutes per game the previous two seasons, he's played just 10-12 this year and is struggling to take the next step beyond being a depth guy at this level.
He is the best attacking defender when trying to dominate with his feet.Although he's not physical at 5-foot-10, he doesn't play small, and I liked his game on both ends of the ice because of his mobility and good reading.He can be activated to lead the offensive zone and do something when he plays with confidence, which he seems to have lost a bit.bends the line and cover well.He can play a zone-dominant run under pressure, slide into the passing lane to catch a pass, or disrupt the opposing carrier with a tight slot and active stick.He's generally had positive results defensively. If he can be a #5-6 offensive defenseman at even strength and a PP2 QB level, he looks good at #31. But he should also move to North America (Ombi's contract expires at the end of this season, so he should be in the AHL next year).While people will argue that his size is more akin to his NHL projection, there's more evidence than that to suggest his KHL usage and production is stalling, and he's still young.I think he might surprise some people with his development and fit in the AHL, and I think he would have been much more popular if he had played in Russia's U20 internationals.
4. Sean Behrens, LHD, 22, Eagles (No. 61, 2021)
I like Behrens in the 2021 draft and still believe he can be a good defenseman in the NHL.Ranked third among under-19 defensemen as a freshman with 29 points in 37 games for the national champion Pioneers, Behrens suffered two injuries in his sophomore season (one at the Summer World Juniors in Edmonton and another during the season) before spending a strong Winter World Juniors in Halifax as a first pairing, second national captain and second national team captain.Avalanche.However, he tore his ACL in his first NHL training camp, costing him just one rookie year in the AHL in 2024-25.He came back and performed well for both a rookie and a defenseman who hasn't played in over a year.
I like how Behrens is away from the puck, drives and plays and thinks and uses space.He is a leader, intelligent, mobile, active in all three areas (but within reason) the defender influences the course of the game with his ability to leave his own area, move in the neutral area, lead the entrance and manage the offensive-area system in his combination to calculate the offense, efficiency and read quickly.he also has a good first touch and does a great job identifying his next play before the puck reaches his stick.He has the ability to create time and space and attack.He is also a sound defender for his size (5-foot-10, now from the mid-170s to 180s) who is always cooperative, plays tight spaces, fights in the battlefield and physical connection to take or keep his chances are that he rarely has a bad game.He takes his job as a fast-paced defender who kills a lot of his game and puts the game his way.He can drive the puck, disrupt the game, control the game and play physical against the speed.It will be interesting to follow Gulyayev in the AHL, because there may be only opportunities in the NHL in the future for one of them for a long time.It is a serious injury that delays his progress.
5. Francesco Dell'Elce, LHD, 20, UMass (č. 77, 2025)
The Dells was on my miss-cut list in 2023 when I saw him play at St. Andrew's College and liked to hide and skate.I didn't rank him as a top prospect in 2024 after a decent but lackluster season with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, but he impressed scouts and me with an outstanding freshman year at UMass.With a campaign that ended with my third-round draft pick and third-round pick in my third year of eligibility. In his two seasons there, Del Elles (who was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team last year after posting 24 points in 40 games) played significant minutes for a program that developed as a D program prospect.
Dell'Elce's game is all about edges, four-way mobility and elusiveness.He is a good athlete who has worked to fill out the frame once light and improve his game defensively in space.He has learned to play harder and harder, and is now able to direct and influence the game consistently with his feet, timing and instincts.He can dodge and absorb pressure in his own zone or on the line, and he has a lethal punch that comes with good attacking instincts to get open and/or attack.And he also has a June birthday, so he's on the young side as the second overall pick in the draft and will play this full season as a 20-year-old.His mobility and instincts can only get you so far, and he still has time to develop in college before turning pro (I'm guessing after his junior year at the end of the 2026-27 season).
6. Trent Miner, G, 25 ans, Elang (n° 202, 2019)
Miner played well enough to move around the Avalanche organization's depth chart.He bounced back and forth between the AHL and ECHL from 2021 to 2024, but after his entry-level contract expired at the end of 2023-24, they signed him to a one-year contract to give him another year to prove himself as a full-time AHLer.When he made the move last year and made his first two NHL starts, they gave him a two-year contract in the summer.He also performed well when injured Scott Wedgwood earlier this season and continues to play consistently well in the AHL, where his career save percentage oscillates between .915 and .920.He was a career .911 hitter in the ECHL as well and had a track record of success in the WHL (although his WHL career also came under unusual circumstances in a rare junior hockey tandem with David Tendeck).I like how Miner watches pucks, moves on his feet, anticipates the play, and stays consistent with his movements.It is also competitive.These traits mask his below-average size (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) and good athleticism.I think he suits being the number 3 goalkeeper of an organization.
7. Nikita Prishchepov, S/LV, 21, Egles (č. 217, 2024)
Prishchepov was one of the biggest stories in hockey last year.He was drafted in the seventh round as an overager and not only quickly received an entry-level contract after his first draft camp with the Avs but played a pair of NHL games for them shortly after being drafted.He was a great young player in Victoriaville, but I don't think anyone expected him to play NHL games in November after being selected in one of the last picks of the draft.It is not only the seventh first round from the 2024 draft to play, but also the 2021, 2022 and 2023 drafts.He started this season on the sidelines with an undisclosed injury, but returned in late November and has been a solid contributor for the Eagles.I wonder if last year was the peak of his career.The game itself to Prishchepov is what-you-see-is-what-you-get.He's a good competitor, good-skating, athletic forward.He is competitive and plays with drive, doing well on the forecheck and on the wall.He'll never get a ton of offense, but he plays a fair, pro-style game with speed and intent.The question is whether he can be more than a solid AHLer who gets another call and becomes an NHL regular.I didn't know what role he was going to play, which left me feeling like he might be a tall guy.
8. Luca Cloutier, G, 19, Boston College (#132, 2024)
After a solid explosion in the postseason last year, posting an .882 save percentage for a poor Chicago team, Cloutier has become a standout for BC, becoming their starting freshman goaltender.A fifth-round pick in 2024, Cloutier was three weeks away from being eligible for the 2025 draft and just turned 19 at the end of August.He is small for a goalkeeper.On the side he's quite thin, but he's quick on his feet, has great instincts and takes the game really well.Hockey IQ also applies to goaltenders, and it relies on the way he reads scorers and plays against him.I wonder if he'll just be an AHL/ECHL type, but he has most of what you look for in a small goalie (I wouldn't say he's a dynamic athlete or super competitor).
9. Jake Fisher, C, 20, University of Denver (No. 121, 2024)
Fisher came out of high school in Minnesota with the Fargo Force, through the USHL and to Denver, where he is a sophomore this year and has been a standout as a bottom-six center for the Pioneers the past two seasons.He is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound center with plenty of experience on the penalty kill who works with the puck, plays good defense, will sacrifice his body to block a shot and is a faceoff.Strong on the perimeter.He also plays offense, has a good one-touch shot and can get into the slot and get open for his teammates (he's more of a shooter than a passer).He looks more like a future AHL last-place finisher to me than an NHL fourth-round finisher, but I expect him to be a solid, upper-class college player.
10. Kristian Humphries, RW, 19, Kitchener (#215, 2024)
Humphreys is a crafty player who has shown signs of being able to help and play both center and wing in the NTDP, including different types of highlights.He missed part of six weeks from late January to early March in the NTDP draft, but he came back with a four-point game and I think he finished the U18 World Cup on a strong note, where he also showed more determination.whatever momentum and confidence he developed, he didn't show up at Michigan (as he had already left MSU to go there after just one semester).There were always real translation questions about him and his game, and they manifested themselves in a rough start at Michigan that saw him start 10 games for the Rangers in college.Career.After just over a point per game in the second half of last season with Kitchener, he's their leading scorer in his first full year there, and I decided to include him here even though I don't expect him to sign and will probably just be an ECHLer.
Humphries' niche is in his offensive craft.He's developed physically to grow an inch and gain the necessary weight — he once scored five goals in his NTDP and was listed at 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds in his U17s, but is now an inch taller and at least 20 pounds heavier.His game is decently competent and good in possession.He's an agile skater who sticks to the sidelines.He has quick hands and a decent feel for the game as a playmaker, which is mixed with a hearty demeanor and good instincts in and around the puck to create an offensive package that is interesting against his peers.He plays well under pressure.He has some one-on-one moments and can get out of a rush.Making plays and questions about the translation of his game over Jr.'s became the consensus.There are times when I wish he would really own it and attack (he can be very differential).I looked at him as a mid-rounder in his draft year;Despite the consensus seeing him as a late-rounder or unranked, I was very high on him.
