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Avalanche Prospect Update: Ritchie, Foudy, Gulyayev & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Stefano Rubino | Last updated Jan 2, 2025 9:15 AM ET

Welcome to the Colorado Avalanche Prospect Update, December Edition. Each month, we will examine Avalanche prospects playing in various leagues and see how they are performing. While some players have great potential, the Avalanche’s farm system is nowhere close to teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and Columbus Blue Jackets, which have had higher draft picks in the last few years, while Colorado has traded away many of their prospects and draft picks.

One quick note: All players listed here are 25 or under.

Colorado Eagles, American Hockey League (AHL)

Nikita Prishchepov began December with the Colorado Avalanche before being assigned to the Eagles. His first two games back were challenging, as he went pointless. However, he bounced back and finished the month strong by scoring his first career hat trick in a 5-1 victory against the San Diego Gulls on Dec. 20. He continued to show his aggression with the puck and had five shots on goal, which was a season-high.

Prishchepov has established himself as a reliable player whom the Avalanche can rely on to call up if someone gets injured. After Valeri Nichushkin left Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets in the second period with an injury and with Ivan Ivan on injury reserve (IR), there’s a good chance Prishcepov will be called up, given how well he has played.

Jean-Luc Foudy finally made his season debut in November, and he looked a little rusty after spending months recovering from surgery. Still, his December performance showed why he will be a valuable piece for the Avalanche. In seven games, he scored six points, one goal and five assists, including a four-game point streak that was highlighted by his two-point performance against the Gulls on Dec. 21 when he had a goal and an assist with a season-high four shots on goal. Hopefully, this will kickstart a resurgence in his early career, as he can’t seem to stay healthy and has been through multiple pointless stretches.

Oskar Olausson continues to face difficulties in his performance. He has recorded one goal and two assists, totalling three points in eight games in December. He had a standout game against the Roadrunners on Dec. 29, where he not only assisted but also scored the overtime game-winning goal. However, aside from that, he has struggled to contribute offensively. His shots on goal have been inconsistent, often totalling three or four in a game, but at times, finishing the game without even one. With a season total of five goals and five assists for ten points, the pressure is on Olausson to demonstrate his abilities soon, or he may be an asset for the upcoming trade deadline.

Trent Miner is having a solid season, finishing the month with a 3-3-1 record. He stood out against the Roadrunners on Dec. 28, making a season-high 32 saves and only allowing one goal in the win. However, he didn’t look great against the Abbotsford Canucks, allowing six goals on 29 shots in a 6-1 loss. Miner will likely spend the foreseeable future with the Eagles after Mackenzie Blackwood was signed to an extension over the holidays, and Scott Wedgewood has one more year on his contract. For a seventh-round pick in 2019, Miner has been great for the Eagles.

National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)

Taylor Makar had a good December despite only playing four games. He recorded four points in those games, finishing the first two with a goal and an assist, though he was pointless in the last two. It was great to see Makar back on the score sheet, as he is having a career season with the University of Maine. His six goals and nine assists for 15 points now surpass his total from last season at UMass of 12 points.

Jake Fisher played four games and ended his five-game pointless streak with a two-point performance (one goal and one assist) against Western Michigan on Dec. 6. This marked his first goal and assist since Nov. 1, when he played against Yale, and he recorded a season-high four shots on goal during that game. He followed this up with another assist in the next game but finished the last two games without any points. It was encouraging to see Fisher back to his early-season form, where he had seven points in his first seven games.

Tory Pitner continues to show that defense is his priority. Despite being scoreless in December, he continued to play a physical game while not taking any penalties – he has four on the season. Still, Pitner’s attention to defensive details is noticeable in every game. His sound positioning, perfectly timed pokes, physicality, and clever tie-ups make him a formidable defender.

Christian Humphreys’ struggle with the University of Michigan continues. He went scoreless in the two games he played in December. He didn’t manage to record a single shot on goal, and his scoring ability is not clicking as it did with the U.S. National U18 Team, which has limited his contribution to the offense. He can accumulate touches by positioning himself effectively in the offensive zone and executing well-timed reloading routes during transitions, and that hasn’t translated well enough this season. As it is his first season with the team, and at just 18 years old, Humphreys has the potential to become more comfortable and showcase his true talents in the coming years.

Canadian Hockey League

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

Calum Ritchie played four games in December with the Oshawa Generals before leaving for Ottawa to play for Team Canada in the World Junior Championship. He had six points in four games, including a five-assist night against the Kingston Frontenacs on Dec. 1. As an alternate captain for Team Canada, he has one goal and one assist. While the team hasn’t lived up to expectations so far in the tournament, we will see what he brings against Czechia on Jan. 2 in the quarter-finals.

Coming off a hot November, Max Curran cooled off in December, finishing with five points (two goals and three assists) in eight games. He had two two-point nights, including two assists on Dec. 13 against the Kelowna Rockets and a two-goal effort on Dec. 28 against the Portland Winterhawks, his first multi-goal game of the season. With nine goals and 29 points in 30 games, Curran continues to develop as a playmaker, showing his aggressive shooting and ability to drive the offense.

Russian Leagues

Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), VHL

After missing a month due to injury, Zakhar Bardakov returned to the lineup and looked like his usual self. In five games, he scored one goal and two assists. The 23-year-old played physical while being as aggressive with the puck as possible. On Dec. 27, he played a season-high 20:37 against HC Sochi. With his contract up in May, the Avalanche must decide if they will sign him and bring him over to North America.

Mikhail Gulyayev had a cold start to December, only producing one assist in six games, but he has burst out offensively in the last three games. He is now on a three-game goal streak, the longest of his career, and has reached a career-high in goals. All three goals were scored at even strength as he tries to find his shot. With five goals and five assists in 38 games, he is only two points shy of last season’s total.

Ilya Nabokov started three games in December, finishing with a record of 2-1-0. He allowed only four goals in those three starts, with just one goal scored against him in his loss to Avtomobilist. Nabokov continues to be one of the standout players for Metallurg Mg, and like Bardakov, his contract is set to expire in May. With Blackwood’s recent extension and Wedgewood having one year left on his contract, could the Avalanche consider signing Nabokov and bringing him to North America? At just 21 years old and with his outstanding performance in the KHL, it is the right time for him to sign an entry-level contract (ELC) and explore the possibility of playing in an Eagles uniform or gaining some experience with the Avalanche.

Other American Leagues

United States Hockey League (USHL), ECHL

William Zellers played only two games in December. After going scoreless on Dec. 27 against the Madison Capitols, he recorded two assists on Dec. 31 against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. With 15 goals and eight assists, totalling 23 points, Zellers finished 2024 strongly in his second year with the team. He heads into his final season with solid momentum.

Louka Cloutier and the Chicago Steel continue to struggle. In two starts in December, Cloutier went 0-2-0-0 and allowed four goals in each start. This is a major regression from last season when he finished with a 14-14-2-3 record. This season, he has a 4-9-0-0 record, a save percentage of .871 and a goals-against average of 4.54.

December was a short month for many teams, with a nice holiday break to spend time with family and friends before their seasons continued in the new year. Many players are starting to get some offense going that should continue into 2025 and beyond.