Colorado Avalanche make three picks in the 2025 NHL Draft

The Colorado Avalanche made three picks during Day 2 of the NHL Draft on Saturday.

GM Chris MacFarland and president Joe Sakic selected Francesco Dell’Elce with the No. 77 pick in the third-round, Linus Funck with pick No. 118 in Round 4 and Nolan Roed at pick No. 214 in the seventh-round.

Dell’Elce is a defenseman from UMass-Amherst. The Avs had the pick thanks to a trade with the Columbus Blues Jackets on Friday that sent Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood out of town in a salary dump.

Dell’Elce, 20, registered 24 points (seven goals and seven assists) in all 40 games for a Minutemen team that made it to the NCAA Regional Finals in 2024-25. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman led UMass blue-liners in goals and assists and finished seventh among all team skaters in points.

Funck, another defenseman, played for Lulea HF’s under-20 club in 2024-25, his first full season in the J20 Nationell circuit. At only 17-years-old, Funck recorded 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) in 48 regular-season games and added two points in three playoff games.

Roed is a forward from the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. Roed appeared in 61 regular-season games for the Storm and tallied 60 points with 27 goals and 33 assists, pacing the team in goals (tied) and assists. In fact, his 60 points finished seventh in the entire league. Roed, 19, was limited to one playoff game in 2025 due to injury.

And now, free agency is set to start for the Avalanche on Tuesday. With their new salary cap space thanks to the Coyle and Wood trade, a splash or two could be coming.

None of these draft picks will be with the club this coming season, but they’re names to watch as the Avalanche hunts its fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history over the next few years.

Related

Cale Makar voted NHL’s best defenseman a fifth year in a rowAvalanche name new head coach for AHL affiliate EaglesFive most important Avalanche games during the 2026-27 seasonNHL drops schedule for 2026-27 Avalanche seasonFirst Avalanche game of 2026-27 season announced, it’s in SeptemberAvs make three more depth signings, including forward with 477 NHL games