Avalanche Prospect Report: Makar, Prishchepov, Dufour & More

Jean-Luc Foudy’s February was slightly better than his January, finishing with one goal and three assists for four points, all coming from a three-game point streak. That was highlighted by a multi-point night on Feb. 8 against the Abbotsford Canucks, which saw him finish with a goal and an assist. The 22-year-old survived the trade deadline, but with one more year on his entry-level contract (ELC), will he make it past next year’s?

Continuing with another player who could have been moved at the deadline: Oskar Olausson. After finishing with five points in January, Olausson finished February again with five points, including three goals and two assists. Like Foudy, the discussion at hand concerns the lack of production of first-round picks these past few seasons. Unfortunately, both have dealt with injuries during their time with the Eagles. Olausson is set to be a restricted free agent this summer.

Let’s warmly welcome William Dufour, who joins the Eagles as part of the Brock Nelson trade. With the Bridgeport Islanders this season, he recorded eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 45 games. He also had two power-play goals and 72 shots on goal. This performance is a slight decline from last season, where he scored 15 goals and provided 10 assists for 25 points. Even more of a decline over his rookie season in the AHL, which he finished with 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points.

Trent Miner had a reasonably quiet February, only making four starts, but he was effective in all of them. He finished with a record of 3-1-0 and allowed only five goals on the 110 shots he faced in those four starts. One of those wins was a shutout against the Ontario Reign on Feb. 28, in which he saved 29 shots, leading to a 4-0 victory.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

Taylor Makar continues his career season with the University of Maine, finishing the month of February strong with six goals and one assist for seven points in seven games. He shined against Vermont on Feb. 28, finishing with a hat trick, which led to a 4-1 victory. He took home the game-winning goal. Makar had a multi-goal game earlier in the month on Feb. 7 against Providence College, which saw him finish with two goals and score the game-tying short-handed goal in the third period, leading to a 3-2 victory.

Jake Fisher struggled in January, producing only one assist in seven games, but in eight games in February, he finished with two goals and one assist for three points. His goals came in back-to-back games in a series against Miami University on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22. He also finished the month with 11 shots on goal, his highest total since the opening season in September, when he finished with 10 in six games.

Tory Pitner continues to showcase his primary focus on defense. Although he did not score any goals in February, he maintained a physical style of play while keeping his penalties to a minimum, with only five for the entire season. Pitner’s commitment to defensive fundamentals is evident in every game. His excellent positioning, well-timed pokes, physical presence, and innovative tie-ups make him a strong and effective defender. Still, as we saw during his time in the United States Hockey League (USHL), there could be more production.

Canadian Hockey League

Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL)

This one hurts the most as we say goodbye to Calum Ritchie, a central part of acquiring Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders. He is killing it with the Oshawa Generals this season, with 15 goals and 53 assists for 68 points in only 43 games. He did see some time with the Avalanche to start the season and scored his first career goal but showed that his time playing in the NHL is still a bit away. We could have seen what he would look like with the Eagles next season, but the Avalanche are in win-now mode, and he was the price to bring in a bonafide second-line center.

After finishing January hot with six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 14 games, Max Curran cooled down in February with four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 11 games. He finished the month with three multi-assist games. A game that stood out was against the Kelowna Rockets on Feb. 8, which he finished with three assists. Up to 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points, he is arguably the Avalanche’s best center prospect in the organization. He continues growing with a Tri-City Americans team that’s seventh in the Western Conference and locked in for a playoff position. 

In his first full month with the Kitchener Rangers, Christian Humphreys finished February with five goals and 14 assists for 19 points. He finished with seven multi-point nights, including three three-point nights. He had a game-winning goal in overtime on Feb. 28 against the Sarnia Sting and finished with two points. Humphreys has looked much more comfortable since his move from Michigan and has helped the Rangers to a 44-13-4-2 record, which is third in the Western Conference.

Russian Leagues

Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), VHL

Zahkar Bardakov only played in six games in February but did the most in those games, finishing with two goals and three assists for five points. He stood out against HC Ak Bars, where he finished with two even-strength goals, an assist for three points, and four shots on goal in an 8-3 loss. He is now up to 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 49 games. When his contract expires on May 31, will the Avalanche try to bring him to North America, sign him to his ELC, and get him in some Eagles games?

In February, Mikhail Gulyayev recorded two assists in nine games, tying his career high of eight assists in the KHL, which he set last season. Now up to seven goals and eight assists for 15 points on the season, he has set career highs across the board. With one more year remaining on his contract, he will be 20 when his contract is up and could play for the Eagles if he decides to come to North America and sign his ELC.

Ilya Nabokov started in six games in February and finished with a record of 4-2-0. In those six starts, he faced 131 shots and allowed 12 goals. He suffered his worst game on Feb. 5, where he was pulled when he allowed four goals on 12 shots. This was his worst game since Oct. 12 against HC AK Bars, when he was pulled for allowing four goals on 30 shots. He picked up his second assist of the season on Feb. 12 against Metallurg Mg, tying his previous season total of two assists.

Other American Leagues

United States Hockey League (USHL), ECHL

The second prospect we saw moved during the trade deadline was William Zellers in the move to acquire Charlie Coyle from the Boston Bruins. Zellers is lighting up the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers, currently leading the USHL in goal-scoring with 38. He’s second in points with 60. It is his final season with the team before he plays with the University of North Dakota. While many question his 5-foot-11 frame and how it can translate to the NHL’s size, his speed and puck-handling help make up for that. Zellers, a third-round gem, will be such a loss.

After a brutal January that saw Louka Cloutier lose seven starts in a row, he only saw three starts in February and finished with a 0-2-1 record. His overtime loss wasn’t that bad, only allowing three goals on 47 shots, but the other two starts were not good. He allowed 12 goals on 48 shots.

During the 2025 Trade Deadline, two prominent prospects were traded away in exchange for urgently needed players. As with all prospects, their future performance remains uncertain. They could develop into top-line players, scoring over 80 points per season, or become bottom-six players, contributing only 10 to 25 points per season. It’s a difficult decision to make. However, if the team achieves success with the new additions and wins another Stanley Cup, can we really question the decision to trade those prospects?