CHL Prospect Pipeline: Colorado Avalanche

CHL Prospect Pipeline highlights those who played in 2023-24, who were born in 2004 or later, and are signed by or on the reserve list of an NHL club. Players who played NHL games in 2023-24 and were not returned to their CHL club are not considered.

Maxmilian Curran (F) — Tri-City Americans
Acquired: 2024 NHL Draft (161st overall)
CHL career stats: 40GP | 5G | 27A | 32PTS
Signed: No

Injuries limited Curran in his rookie WHL season but in 40 appearances, the 17-year-old managed 32 points (five goals). The 39th overall pick in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, the Czech native won a silver medal at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he had three points in five games.

Nikita Prishchepov (F) — Victoriaville Tigres
Acquired: 2024 NHL Draft (217th overall)
CHL career stats: 191GP | 45G | 90A | 135PTS
Signed: No

Prishchepov’s third QMJHL season caught the eye of the Avs as they selected him in his final year of draft eligibility after he put together a 22-goal, 67-point campaign. In the postseason, the Russian forward had 11 points as the Tigres reached the third round. The 37th overall pick in the 2021 CHL Import Draft, Prishchepov won 54.2 per cent of his faceoffs while his 21 power play assists were tied for the sixth most in the Q.

Cal Ritchie (F) — Oshawa Generals
Acquired: 2023 NHL Draft (27th overall)
CHL career stats: 174GP | 71G | 113A | 184PTS
Signed: Yes

After his season debut was delayed until mid-November, Ritchie returned with a bang as he recorded 80 points (28 goals) in just 50 games at an average of 1.60 per-game, the sixth best in the OHL. In the postseason, he finished second in scoring with 30 points as he led Oshawa to the OHL Championship Series. The 19-year-old, who won 51.3 per cent of his faceoffs, was named to the OHL’s Second All-Star Team. Ritchie won gold with Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he led the tournament in assists (6) and points (10) and claimed bronze at the 2023 U18 World Championships.

Cal Ritchie ends it quickly in OT!

The #GoAvsGo prospect scored seven seconds into the extra frame as the @Oshawa_Generals skated away with a 4-3 win over the Soo!

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 2, 2024