Here’s who the Colorado Avalanche took in the 2022 NHL Draft

The Colorado Avalanche had a very light 2022 NHL Draft. The Avs traded away most of their picks before draft day. Many of the selections were used to help the team acquire the right players to win the Stanley Cup.

Here’s a look at how Colorado used their picks:

Round

1: Traded to Arizona for Darcy Kuemper
2: Traded to New York Islanders for Devon Toews
3: Traded to New York Rangers for Alexandar Georgiev
4: Traded to Detroit for Patrik Nemeth
5: Traded to New York Rangers for Alexandar Georgiev

Round, Pick, Player,              Position, Team (League)

6     193    Christopher Romaine        D        Milton Academy (USHS)
7     225   Ivan Zhigalov                      G        Sherbrooke (QMJHL)

Georgiev was acquired in a trade on Thursday to replace Kuemper. Kuemper was the main backstop for the Avs Cup run while Toews was a first-liner on defense.

Romaine, 18, completed his junior season at Milton Academy in Massachusetts, where he served as an alternate captain and recorded 22 points (9g/13a) in 18 games to earn Massachusetts Prep School hockey’s MVP award. The Braintree, Mass., native has played in 38 total contests for Milton and collected 29 points (9g/20a) for the Mustangs.

Romaine is the 12th player the Avalanche has selected from high school since moving to Denver.

Zhigalov, 19, posted a 26-9-3 record in 42 appearances for the Phoenix this past season, ranking first among rookie goaltenders in wins and fourth among all league netminders. He recorded a 2.84 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. The 6-foot-3, 164-pound goaltender appeared in two postseason contests, finishing 0-1 with a 4.19 goals-against average and .826 save percentage.

Prior to playing in North America, Zhigalov appeared in five games for Dynamo Moscow’s MHL team in Russia’s junior league during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He went 3-0-1 with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage in those five outings. The Minsk, Belarus, native represented his country at the 2021 IIHF U-18 World Championships, posting a 3.75 goals-against average, .898 save percentage and an 0-1-0 record in two contests. He is the first Belarus-born player to be drafted by the Quebec/Colorado organization

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