There has been plenty of speculation that the Colorado Avalanche will use the number one pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft on defenseman Seth Jones. The chief scout of the Colorado Avalanche, Rick Pracey, thinks that might not be the case.
“The No. 1 spot, it’s open,” Pracey said, according to the Denver Post. “You know, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin and Alexander Barkov, and you can go into other guys. There are others out there – Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm – that are very, very interesting players.
“It’s by far not a slam dunk. It’s not one player that’s running away with this thing.”
Some might argue that drafting a top defenseman like Jones would make more sense for the Avalanche than grabbing another skilled center like MacKinnon. However, it doesn’t sound like the Avalanche are going to look at their current roster when deciding who to take.
“We have to be looking at the best player available,” Pracey said. “When you’re holding the No. 1 pick, you still have to maintain that philosophy. We’re after not only the most talented kid right now, but long into the future. We hope this is a 10-15 year player for us.”
MacKinnon, Drouin, and Jones are all among the prospects competing in the 2013 Memorial Cup. After that, they’ll participate in the NHL Combine on May 27. The Avalanche also plan to visit their homes during the interviewing process.
“It’s kind of rare when all the top prospects are still playing like they are now, so it’s good for our staff to get to see them more,” Pracey said. “But we have to get to know them better as people. We have a tough decision ahead of us.”
