I voted for McIlrath out of that bunch, he may not be the BPA (best player available) at #17, but he fills a gap in our organization, and we NEED a blueliner of his ilk. I’ve seen mock drafts where they have us picking Jason Tinordi at 17, another big kid on the blueline.

I would love to see the avs taking Skinner or McFarland! One of these guys is just what the club needs! Of course, I wouldn’t mind McIlrath either, but I think we’re overstuck on D

Well, I like McIlrath a lot, and I would love it if the avs drafted him. But we need scoring lw…look at skinner! I like this kid(dispite his size)!

on here about me wanting us to go with a forward, but I certainly like McIlrath a lot. He’s the kind of defensemen I could really get behind us drafting. This is a very deep draft, so that will hopefully allow us to fill a lot of needs. I have to say though, assuming for the sake of argument, all of those guys listed plus Tinordi and Etem were available, I’d take Jeff Skinner in a heartbeat. He’s a special kind of player. I’ve heard interviews with his coaches who compare his work ethic to Mike Richards, and E.J McGuire said he has the best hands of anyone in the draft. That’s the kind of guy you put on Matty’s wing and watch him rack up 45 goals a year.

If he’s gone, I really do like “The Undertaker” McIlrath, Etem, and Watson.

The last time the Avs drafted the son of a former NHLer it worked out ok. I wouldnt mind Tinordi.

Agree about Holos but he doesn’t have much size to move people in front of the net. The Avs D-men in the system (besides Gaunce) are mostly prototypical puck moving D-men as you describe but don’t have size nor are they heavyweights. I think with McIlrath the Avs would be getting a bigger, badder Adam Foote V2.0. None of the D-men on the roster or in the system are a concertina eating, thunder crapping, ass kicking D-man with an attitude. I agree the Avs need one. But the Avs also need a scoring LW and goalie of the future from this draft. Can’t wait to see who they pick!

I’m down with the Dean Lombardi style, he helped construct the Sharks and now the kings. His philosophy is draft the best player available and figure it out later, trades are easier to deal with than busts. You never know what is going to be available later in either free agency or by trade.

If he’s still available we should take the best goalie in the draft. But I think the Avs could make a move by trading a couple of prospects and maybe a 2nd or 3rd round pick to get an additional first round choice. Then maybe we can get Skinner too!

Forget about Campbell. He’s not going to be there at 17.
Forget about Skinner. He’s not going to be there at 17.
Forget about McFarland. Million dollar talent, but no desire. Horrible work ethic. Avoid like the plague.
Forget about Kabanov. He’s a flake.
Forget about the rest of the Russians. The Avs don’t draft them.
Forget about Nino. No heart unless he’s playing in a red jersey with a white cross on it. Just like the rest of the Swiss.

This draft is very deep, and you’ve got a lot of players who are moving up the charts, and that’s going to make some people drop. The Avs are probably going to be faced with a choice between one or two surprising sliders and a guy who might be a bit of a reach at 17 (McIlrath). Depending on who the sliders are, I’d lean heavily toward McIlrath. You can teach skating, but you can’t teach that kind of size, strength and meanness. Etem is another strong possibility.

still not sure about McIlrath- I think we should take Skinner unless Campbell is somehow still there

My take. I would like to see the Avalanche take a forward, a D man, and a goalie in the first 3 rounds. I have a bias towards the USNDT and DU hockey so bear with me.

My first hope would be a solid D man. Either Forbot (probably gone), McIllrath (maybe gone) or Merrill. Either of those boys on the board, we take them. Then, in the 2nd, we get a Zucker, a LW that goes to the dirty areas yet can fly and score. I’m thinking a perfect compliment to Duchene and Mueller (he will be 3 years away from playing in the pros and Hejduk will probably be gone by then). In the 3rd, goalie Sam Brittain. The kid is tall, 6’3" and won the hand-eye coordination test at the combine, that should be good for a goalie eh?, and he will attend DU so the Avs can get a good glimpse at his development. Some guy named Stastny came through that program.

2nd wish. We go the forward route. If Skinner is available, pick that guy up in a heart-beat. I see him as a Hejduk type meaning a serious sniping winger. Put him on Duchene’s wing and he will get 40+ goals a year. No joke. If not him, depending on who’s on the board, the next guys I would want are Howden (a good skating power forward, can’t beat having two Stewart types) or Brock Nelson (gifted playmaker). In the 2nd round, hope Stephen Johns is available. Nasty Dman from the US team that has some offense in his game. And did I mention he plays on the nasty side? Goalie Brittain in the 3rd.

This is a deep draft and several teams have glaring needs. Who knows which players will get scooped up where. There’s also one other thing to remember about the weeks leading up to the draft. There is a lot of speculation from media and fans but nothing is being heard from the men that will make the decisions (and some GM in Toronto wants to shake things up to make some picks too so who knows what will happen when he hits the phones). Enjoy the rumors surrounding the draft. I for one want some of the kids on the US team on the Avs.

Another name to throw out there – Austin Levi, D with the Plymouth Whalers. He was ranked #30 in the preliminary rankings, but ended up at #156 in the final rankings. 6’3" 192lb mesomorph with a big frame that can still pack on 30lbs I’d say. The reason for the drop is that his offensive game didn’t come around like scouts had expected. He’s big, physical and raw. Likes to drop the mitts. Has a very smooth skating stride. Shot, passing ability and hockey sense are, well, a work in progress, you might say. The upcoming season is going to be a key year in his development.

He played forward exclusively in Whalers rookie camp last month, which is interesting because the Whalers were short on D, were loaded at forward, and having played two seasons in the OHL already, he wasn’t a rookie. I’m thinking that he was either playing forward at the request of the numerous scouts in attendance, or they’re planning to move him to the wing this fall. I can say that he looked very impressive offensively at camp, and didn’t look at all out of place on the wing.

Here’s some stuff on him:

Oh, did I mention that he’s from Colorado and grew up an Avs fan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hbr2dLUeYA

Levi video didn’t post before for some reason.