Colorado Avalanche select Jean-Luc Foudy 75th overall

With their first pick on Day 2 of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche select Jean-Luc Foudy 75th overall from the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Foudy is the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Liam Foudy.

A right-shooting center, Foudy is one of the best pure athletes in the draft. His father a professional football player, his mother an Olympian, when he’s not on the ice, Foudy is a championship track and field athlete.

Like his brother, speed is Jean-Luc’s calling card. He finished this season with 15 goals and 43 points in 59 games this season.

Birthplace: Scarborough, Ontario

Date of birth: May 13, 2002

Shoots: Right

Position: Centre

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 177 lbs.

Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

A quick, playmaking center who finds his teammates with high-end vision and an outstanding passing ability. He uses his elite speed to get around defenders and find open space. Foudy has an underrated shot and if he starts to shoot more, we could see an explosion in his goal production.

Foudy is already one of the fastest players in the OHL. He has an incredible first step and gets up to full speed in only a couple of strides. His top speed is a nightmare for defenders. It’s not just north-south speed, he is an agile skater with great edge work that helps Foudy find open space on the ice.

Like most 18-year olds, Foudy needs to gain some strength. On the rare occasion that defenders do catch up to him, it’s a little too easy to knock him off the puck.

Despite his lack of strength, Foudy is a very good defender for his age. His speed allows him to be disruptive on the backcheck. He puts pressure on the puck carrier through the neutral zone and has a knack for generating turnovers.

Foudy will play another two years in the OHL before he makes the jump to the next level. If he is able to mature physically, it’s easy to see him slotting into the Avalanche lineup as a middle-6 playmaking center right out of junior.