The NHL Entry Draft is a time of promise for every team. Whether it be in the first round or the seventh, teams are trying to uncover the next foundational pieces for their franchise. For every team, not just the Colorado Avalanche, the results are mixed.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft: Horn’s Final 2-Round Mock Draft
The Avalanche have gotten more than a few picks right in the past, but others have gone less than well. Which names disgrace the list of the worst players ever picked by the Colorado Avalanche? Let’s take a deeper look at the forgotten shames of the past.
The Top 5 Biggest Draft Busts in Colorado Avalanche History
Before we get started, it is important to note that we are only considering draft picks made since the team moved to Colorado. Otherwise, names like Jeffrey Kealty (22nd overall, 1994), Daniel Dore (5th overall, 1988), and Bryan Fogarty (9th overall, 1987) may have made the list.
Jonas Johansson, 28th Overall (2002)
This was a tough choice, especially with Mikhail Kuleshov (25th overall, 1999) on the table. The one caveat to taking Kuleshov is that the 1999 NHL Draft may have been one of the worst in history. Kuleshov is just one of many misses in the wasteland that was that first round.
Kuleshov suited up in three games as a member of the Avalanche while Johansson appeared in just one NHL game and that was as a member of the Washington Capitals. Just a couple of picks ahead of him went Alex Steen and Cam Ward, which would have been fine selections.
Though there are not any superstars in the immediate vicinity of the Johansson pick, other solid names were there. Jim Slater (30th overall), Jarret Stoll (36th overall), and Trevor Daley (43rd overall) all had long NHL careers as bottom-of-the-lineup contributors. Then there was Duncan Keith, who went 54th overall to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Conner Bleackley, 23rd Overall (2014)
It’s tough to follow Nathan MacKinnon with the first-overall pick in 2013 but this isn’t the way to go. The first round of this draft had its hits and misses like any other, but every other player managed to suit up in 37 NHL games or more.
Not Bleackley. He is the only player in the entire first round to not appear in an NHL game. Bleackley’s pro dream is still going, though; he has been exclusively in the ECHL since 2020.
Unlike Johansson, who had solid if unspectacular names behind him, things get even uglier for the Bleackley pick. The Los Angeles Kings used the 29th overall pick on Adrian Kempe. The St. Louis Blues used the 33rd pick on Ivan Barbashev. The Vancouver Canucks found Thatcher Demko with the 36t– overall pick. Worst of all? Just two picks later, the Boston Bruins took a Czech winger by the name of David Pastrnak.
Joey Hishon, 17th Overall (2010)
When he was taken with the 17th overall pick in 2010, Hishon was considered to be a promising (if small) offensive talent. He had dealt with injuries in his draft year but had 81 points in 65 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Attack the year before.
Hishon flashed potential with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) before finally getting his shot with the Avalanche during the 2014-15 season. In 13 games, he managed a goal and an assist. That was all she wrote, and his career ended after spending 2017-18 in Sweden.
Missing out on Vladimir Tarasenko the pick before definitely hurts, but you can’t do anything about that. Solid players Nick Bjugstad (19th overall), Riley Sheahan (21st overall), and Kevin Hayes (24th overall) would have been just fine. But Evgeny Kuznetsov (26th overall), Charlie Coyle (28th overall), and Brock Nelson (30th overall) could have had a far bigger impact on the franchise.
Vaclav Nedorost, 14th Overall (2000)
The Avalanche were still contenders in 2000, right there on the cusp of Ray Bourque’s first Stanley Cup championship. That said, the core was getting older and getting pick right was crucial. Finding another Alex Tanguay (12th overall, 1998) would help set the franchise up for the future.
On paper, Nedorost wasn’t the worst pick ever. He played 99 games in the NHL, 42 of which he played for the Avs during the 2002-03 season. He never really managed to apply his talents at the NHL level and would be back in his home country of the Czech Republic to play out the rest of his career.
The bad part is that the 2000 NHL Draft had a plethora of valuable players further down the list. Brooks Orpik (18th overall), Anton Volechenkov (21st overall), Brad Boyes (24th overall), Steve Ott (25th overall), and Justin Williams (28th overall) would have all been solid options. But what if the team had landed hard-hitting defenseman Niklas Kronwall (29th overall) instead of Nedorost?
Duncan Siemens, 11th Overall (2011)
It’s hard to hate the 2011 Entry Draft for the Avalanche considering they got Gabriel Landeskog with the second-overall pick. That selection is fortunate for Siemens because he gets to hide a bit as one of the biggest busts of the draft.
A big, mobile defenseman, Siemens was considered one of the most enticing projects. He never managed to put it together, struggling at the AHL level and managing just 20 games with the Avalanche across three seasons. After 16 games in 2017-18, he was gone and left hockey altogether after 2018-19.
Phillip Danault (26th overall) and Vladislav Namestnikov (27th overall) have become reliable defensive forwards. The biggest “what if” comes just four picks later, however. J.T. Miller was taken by the New York Rangers and has since become a legitimate top-line scoring center now with the Vancouver Canucks.
Building the Future
When it comes to recent Avalanche drafts, there isn’t a clear bust quite yet, at least no one that would make a list of the worst picks in franchise history. The Avalanche have put a focus on acquiring talent from outside the franchise, sending top picks back in the process.
The 2024 NHL Entry Draft will be the time to replenish the cupboard. Hopefully, the Avalanche can find their next gem rather than a future addition to this list.
