With the 2025-26 NHL season just over the halfway mark, it's time to look back at the Colorado Avalanche's 2025 NHL Entry Draft selections and see how they are doing in their first season after being drafted. Prospects haven't been the best area for the Avalanche, as they've either been traded in the past couple of seasons to try to compete or lower-end prospects with a tough climb to make the roster. 

Looking back at the 2025 draft, the Avalanche selected only three players: in the third, fourth, and seventh round; the rest of their picks were traded before the draft. Let's take a brief look at how they are doing this season and how they are helping their team in their respective league.

Round 3: Francesco Dell’Elce (D) UMass (NCAA)

Coming off his rookie season with UMass, where he finished with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, the Avalanche, with their first selection of the draft, took Dell’Elce in the third round, 77th overall in the draft. Coming in at 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds, he is a puck-moving defenseman who shoots left-handed with some sneaky, explosive skating. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:

“Dell’Elce’s an offensive-minded left-shot defender with NHL-level mobility and a projectable shot. His vision under pressure is absurd, connecting on long-bomb outlets with forecheckers only feet away. He will even go as far as baiting forecheckers deeper into the defensive zone just to explode past them”

In his second season, he currently has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 20 games. He is third on the team in points, first by a defenseman, fifth in goals, and fourth in assists. All three of his goals are game-winning goals and are tied for the most on the team. 

The overtime game winner 👀

Francesco Dell’Elce’s OT goal is the @IsenbergUMass Impact Play of the Game from @UMassHockey’s Saturday night win 🎥#Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/ZTZY1Cc5uU

— UMass Athletics (@UMassAthletics) October 21, 2025

He is also third on the team in blocks with 24. Currently playing with notable top prospect Vaclav Nestrasil (Blackhawks), who was selected 25th overall in Round 1 of the 2025 draft, he has helped UMass to a 10-10-0 record halfway through the season

Round 4: Linus Funck (D) London Knights (OHL)

The Avalanche go back-to-back with defensemen in the draft, but this time lean toward a more physical, two-way defenseman with Funck. Playing in Sweden pre-draft with Lulea HF J20 in the J20 Nationell league, Funck finished with five goals and 23 assists for 28 points as a 17-year-old. 

He led all defensemen in points and ranked fifth on the team. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 194 pounds, he shoots right. Although moving his game to North America might affect his scoring, his strong defensive skills and height should help him transition more smoothly without relying heavily on scoring. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:

“Funck uses his reach to kill rushes on top of the blue line and creates breakups along the wall with his physical presence. He is also highly effective on retrievals, mostly through smart first-touch passes.”

Now in North America with the London Knights after he was signed to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, he has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 39 games, including one power play goal and two power play assists.

While the Knights might have lost a lot of talented prospects, including four of their five top point producers from last season in Sam Dickinson (Sharks), Denver Barkey (Flyers), Easton Cowen (Leafs), and William Nicholl (Oilers), the Knights are still off to a solid start to the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference at 23-15-3-0 (49 points).

Three Colorado Avalanche Prospects off to a Red‑Hot StartWhile the Colorado Avalanche are off to a hot start, so are these three prospects in thier system

As the youngest player selected by the Avalanche in the draft, at 18 years old, turning 19 on May 10, Funck will have plenty of time to work on his game with the Knights, who have an excellent reputation for development programs in the CHL and getting him more comfortable in the North American style and gameplay.

Nolan Roed (C/LW), St. Cloud State University (NCAA)

With their final pick in the draft, the Avalanche go with a forward in Roed that shows a lot of skill that has room to grow and develop. Finishing his second season with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL), he finished with 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points, leading the team in goals, assists, and points heading into the 2025 draft.

Taken with the 11th last pick of the draft is questionable considering his skills and intangibles he can bring to a team. A player who can play both Center and Left-Wing confidently and shows excellent skills as a playmaker while having great hands as a puckhandler, who can also shoot the puck pretty well. Even EliteProspects has a good breakdown on what you can expect from his game.

“In sustained pressure, Roed is a force. He’s constantly moving without possession, dipping behind defenders and popping into space for chances. With possession, he has both shooting and passing skill, amplified by his ability to get off the wall and build downhill speed. Interchanging with his defencemen, he gets all of his teammates involved as he controls the game.”

Unfortunately, a significant factor affecting his game and how it translates to the NHL level is his height of 5-foot-11. Coming in at 185 pounds isn’t bad. Still, when you have that height difference and face off against centers and a defenseman standing over 6-foot-4 and taller, unless you can find separation to get your shot off or beat defenders with your skill, it's going to be hard to get the same level of production. 

Grab that puck! 🚨@Avalanche draft pick @NolanRoed buries his first career goal to give @SCSUHuskies_MH the lead!

🎥: https://t.co/ZyUdpPaF0J#theNational // #HuskyHockeypic.twitter.com/dsZAixL2R4

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) October 11, 2025

In his first season at St. Cloud State University, he has two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 22 games. A league that translates very differently from the WHL, and with Roed, who just turned 20 past October 25, it's probably going to be one or two more years to really either show off how much his skill has grown or show growth in other areas of his game before he signs his ELC and plays with the Eagles.

The Colorado Avalanche prospect pool is suffering because of their recent success in the NHL. Very rarely will you see an NHL team compete for the Stanley Cup every season while having a top-ranked prospect pool. Three picks in the last draft show a bit of promise in each player. We shall see what the Avalanche do at the trade deadline, as they have seven draft picks, but two are in the fourth round, three in the fifth round, and three in the seventh round.