The 2026 NHL Draft turned into a busy affair for the Colorado Avalanche, who ended up with nine new faces on their roster, the most the franchise has ever assembled in a single draft since the league trimmed the event to seven rounds in 2005.
The haul balanced the team’s needs, delivering four defensemen, three forwards and two goaltenders, a mix that could reshape the Avalanche’s blue line and add depth up front.
Front‑end firepower: Shilov and Hamilton
Colorado opened the draft by selecting forward Egor Shilov at No. 43 overall in the second round, a pick that arrived via a trade with Columbus that involved star forward Valeri Nichushkin. Just a few selections later, the Avalanche grabbed Beckett Hamilton, another forward, using a pick acquired in the Ross Colton trade with Nashville.
Goaltender Tobias Tvrznik followed at No. 126 overall in the fourth round, bringing a WHL résumé that saw him post a 16‑18‑4 record with a .913 save percentage and a 3.10 goals‑against average for the Wenatchee Wild in the 2025‑26 season.
Two picks after Tvrznik, the Avalanche drafted 18‑year‑old defenseman Axel Elofsson, who had dominated the Swedish junior circuit with 41 points in 32 games and made a professional debut in six SHL appearances for Orebro.
A future Cornellian and a trade‑crafted defender
In the fifth round, Colorado swapped picks No. 149 and 222 to New Jersey for the 140th overall slot and selected Cole Tuminaro, a 19‑year‑old defenseman who ranked 96th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and has committed to playing at Cornell University in the 2026‑27 season.
The draft concluded with the 152nd overall pick going to defenseman Teddy Lechner, while the seventh round added forward Shawn Carrier, blueliner Ondrej Ruml and goalie Alexandre Raymond, rounding out a class that blends North American junior talent with European experience.
With nine selections, the Avalanche matched the franchise record for most draftees in a single year, a milestone that underscores the organization’s aggressive scouting and development strategy as it looks to sustain competitiveness around stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.