Unless the next Sidney Crosby is on the board, it’s hard to get into the NHL Entry Draft. Fact of the matter, there was no Crosby in this year’s draft.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason why hockey’s draft doesn’t yield the same hype as in basketball and football. Hockey looms toward the bottom of the Big Four when it comes to draft day—probably a small step above baseball.

How do you get interested a draft when it’s quite possible that you might not even know the league guys are getting drafted out of—let alone the player himself? And say you know the first few picks, what about the guys after that? Players drafted in the second round and below have a significantly lower chance of making “the bigs” and a significantly higher chance of hockey fans forgetting their names. 

The hockey draft is tough, but not irrelevant.

Just ask stars Pavel Datsuk (drafted No. 171 in 1999), Luc Robitaille (No. 171 in 1984) and Dominik Hasek (No. 207)—amongst numerous netminders—who were snubbed in the early rounds. They turned little noticed picks into star-caliber players. And that’s where we separate the ones who make the most of each given opportunity.     

Avs fans had to wait until the second round because Colorado’s first pick wasn’t until No. 50. One thing was for sure; the Avalanche appeared to play it safe. By that I mean nobody drafted made any analysts cringe or give up praise.

So who could be the guy for the Avalanche? Will it be the second round pick, the seventh round pick, or all of them?
With their first pick Colorado selected Cameron Gaunce, a defenseman out of the Ontario Hockey League. He was named to the OHL All-Rookie Team and racked up 40 points in 63 games.

Ted Hampson, Chief Scout for the Avalanche said, “He’s a solid character player and has a good feel for the game,” according to the team’s web site. “He’s got good size and strength. He’s got a leadership and a lot of desire to play.”
Gaunce certainly has a huge upside; he’s 18 years old  and will have plenty of time to develop into an NHL caliber blueliner. At 6’1” and 200 pounds, he’s also got a solid build to compete. We’ll have to wait to see how Gaunce plays out as part of the Avalanche organization.

With their second pick only 11 spots below the first, the Avs decided to add another goalie to the mix—Peter Delmas out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. With Theodore, Budaj and a slew of other talent in the farm system, this pick seems rather curious. You’ve got to question what’s going on with Theodore. He’s a free agent this summer and many question whether his excellent showing in the first round of the playoffs was enough to earn another contract in Denver.
The verdict on Delmas according to NHL Central Scouting’s Al Jensen (from NHL.com): “He has big upside and he is very big even when he is in his butterfly. He showed very well at the Top Prospects game and even though he's a laid back guy he held his ground very well. Has a very good glove hand and good rebound control."

Kelsey Tessier finished in the top 15 in scoring in the QMJHL with 81 points. That was enough for the Avs to grab him with the 110th overall pick. Obviously the team wasn’t concerned with his build considering he is 5’9” 168 pounds. He probably proved a lot of people wrong along his trek to the NHL. Tessier plays bigger than he is but it’s his heart and hockey smarts that helped him along the way. 

The Rest

Mark Olver- 140th overall
Center out of Northern Michigan Univ.
By the Numbers: Led team in scoring with 38 points in 39 games.
Where he’s been: Played junior hockey in the USHL

Joel Chouinard- 167th
Defense out of QMJHL
6’1” 186 pounds
Playing style: Compares his own play to that of Bruno Gervais, who has a good first pass and power play potential

Jonas Holos- 170th
Defense out of Norway
6’0” 205 pounds
Where he’s been: Competed for Team Norway at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship

Nathan Condon-200th
Center out of Wausau West High (Wisc.)
To his credit: HS coach claims Nathan is the best player he’s coached in 30 years
Where he’s going: Will play at the Univ. of Minnesota in 2009