As the NHL entry draft approaches and more speculation arises everyday, us Avalanche nerds dig deeper and deeper into who the Avs might be taking with their first pick. While many Avalanche fans began to dig, there is one player that seems to be standing out in the mind of the organization, an American center committed to Boston University next season named Clayton Keller.
The Colorado Avalanche PR team has been preparing for the NHL draft by putting together scouting reports on some of their favorite prospects going into the 2016-17 season. In doing so, they have worked directly with the Avalanche’s director of amateur scouting, Alan Hepple, in gathering some of his thoughts on the upcoming No. 10 overall selection.
On their website, the Avalanche and Alan Hepple have compiled short videos previewing some of the top prospects that could be available at Colorado’s first pick. The Avs PR team and Alan Hepple also publicized a podcast where Hepple breaks down what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for draft day.
If one were to read between the lines and, perhaps, overanalyze Hepple’s words in both the podcast and scouting videos, one would come to believe that Keller has emerged as Colorado’s favorite prospect.
In the scouting report video for Clayton Keller on Avalanche.NHL.com, Alan Hepple describes Keller in a positive, desirable fashion. Using adjectives like “special” and “smartest and most skilled.” Hepple is noticeably more excited when discussing Keller than many of the other prospects. Obviously, this is purely speculation, but it seems as though the Avalanche have their fingers crossed for Keller.
The biggest issue most people have when scouting Clayton Keller is the fact that he is 5-foot-10, but he is described by Hepple as playing “a big man’s game, playing with a lot of heart and a lot of determination.”
In the podcast the Avalanche put together, also to be found on Avalanche.NHL.com, Hepple can be heard making several references to the possible selection of a smaller guy. Hepple justifies having smaller players by pointing to the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins being a relatively smaller, but skilled, team.
Taking a smaller player would be a “leap of faith” according to Alan Hepple, but the Avalanche are set on taking the best player available. At pick No. 10, there is a solid chance that player would be Clayton Keller.
He is a small but creative center that plays a true center’s game. He fits with the Avalanche best because of his strength at both ends of the ice. In the future, he can be a big asset to the bottom six, holding down the center position with strong defense and extreme creativity on offense. Keller is not afraid to use his body and engage his opponents physically despite his small size, so there is no worry of him being too soft.
This is how it should shake out: With the top four picks in the draft — Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Jesse Puljujärvi and Matthew Tkachuk — essentially set in stone, we can scratch those names off the Avs list. The following five picks will likely consist of three of the next top ranked forwards in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Nylander and Logan Brown.
Then, the top two rated defensemen in Mikhail Sergachyov and Olli Juolevi will most likely be selected as well, given that Arizona and Buffalo have a need at defense.
This leaves the Avalanche with the best nine players gone and Clayton Keller as the best player available at that point.
Keller would be a good addition to the future forward depth of the Colorado Avalanche. Extremely smart, great vision, passing and a bit of a chip on his shoulder from his size make Clayton Keller the most likely choice for the Avs at No. 10. As Keller develops at Boston University and the Avalanche will eventually need him to fill a third or fourth line center role, it will be exciting to one day see Keller in an Avs jersey. He will be a productive, skilled player who is exciting to watch, and should certainly be a fan favorite.
Check out his highlights below …
(Featured image via CSNPhilly.com)