NHL Prospect Watch: Colorado Avalanche

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL’s criteria for rookie status.

Much like an avalanche, Colorado’s prospect pool is gaining some serious momentum.

Beckett Hamilton

2026 74th-overall pick Beckett Hamilton’s breakout is underway. The 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward led the Red Deer Rebels with 62 points (24G-38A) in 67 games, with 14 of his goals (including three game-winners) coming in the back half of the season after a switch to centre. He picked up a helper to lift Team East to a 5-4 overtime win at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game and led the Rebels with five points (2G-3A) in five playoff games against the powerhouse Prince Albert Raiders. Hamilton has been announced as the incoming captain for the Rebels in 2026-27. The dual Canadian-American citizen also represented Canada on the international stage for the first time at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship, where he scored three times in five games.

Fabian Lysell

The Avalanche acquired 23-year-old forward Fabian Lysell in a trade with the Boston Bruins on June 27, 2026. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward is coming off one of his most productive professional seasons after netting 42 points (17G-25A) and a +13 rating in 57 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. He finished second on the team in game-winning strikes with five. Originally drafted by Boston with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Lysell made his NHL debut in the 2024-25 season, tallying three points (1G-2A) in 12 appearances with the big club. The Goteborg, Swe. product paced the Vancouver Giants with 62 points (22G-40A) in 53 games in 2021-22. He was also one of Vancouver’s most consistent postseason attackers, adding 21 points (4G-17A) in 12 games to reach Game 6 of the second round.

Trent Miner

After making his NHL debut in 2024-25, 6-foot-1, 185-pound netminder Trent Miner got four more call-ups to the Avalanche last season, going 1-0-3 with a 2.03 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and a 29-save shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Brandon, Manitoba native spent the bulk of the campaign with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, where he stayed consistent with a 17-8-8 record, a 2.62 GAA, a .904 save percentage and one clean sheet. Miner, 25, also backstopped the Eagles to the Calder Cup Conference Finals. The 2019 NHL seventh-round pick spent his entire major junior career with Vancouver, posting a statement 48-28-3-2 career record with a 2.49 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and eight shutouts. His 48 wins are the fourth-most in Giants franchise history.

Tristen Nielsen

Fort St. John, B.C.’s Tristen Nielsen turned an AHL deal into his NHL debut in 2025-26. The 26-year-old AHL veteran signed a deal with the Colorado Eagles as a free agent and earned a shot with the Avalanche just weeks later. In four NHL spins, Nielsen notched his first point- a primary assist on Cale Makar’s game-winner in a 1-0 shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks. The 5-foot-10, 192-pound forward logged 49 points (28G-32A) in 66 games, leading the Eagles in goals while finishing fifth in points and sixth in assists. Originally selected by the Calgary Hitmen with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2015 WHL Prospects Draft, Nielsen potted 82 goals and 93 assists for 175 points over 241 regular-season games with the Hitmen and the Giants. He broke into the pro ranks as an undrafted free agent with the Abbotsford Canucks and helped the Canucks’ farm team to an AHL Championship in 2024-25.

Tobias Tvrznik

Six-foot-4, 180-pound puckstopper Tobias Tvrznik turned heads across the continent in his rookie WHL season. The Wenatchee Wild star went 16-18-2-2 with a 3.10 GAA, a .913 save percentage and one shutout. He made a whopping 60 saves in his WHL debut, a 4-3 shootout loss to the eventual-champion Everett Silvertips. Tvrznik, from Litomerice, Cze., ranked third among all WHL goaltenders in save percentage, iced seven games with 40 or more saves, and was named a Western Conference Finalist for WHL Goaltender of the Year. Colorado selected the 18-year-old with the 126th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Saige Weinstein

Twenty-one-year-old Saige Weinstein split his first season of professional hockey between the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies and AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defender nabbed a pair of assists and 18 penalty minutes in 30 games with Utah before earning three call-ups to Colorado, where he picked up his first pro goal. Weinstein locked up a three-year, entry-level contract with Colorado in 2023 as an undrafted free agent. The Edmonton, Alta. product spent parts of five seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, putting up 84 points (18G-66A) and 311 PIMs in 249 games. He was an alternate captain for the Chiefs in his final season and had 10 points (2G-10A) in 20 games to help Spokane reach the 2025 WHL Championship Series.