Colorado and Europeans at the draft (1.)
On the occasion of the NHL Global Series, we bring you a series of articles about the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL in Europe and European players.Let’s take a look at all Europeans the Colorado Avalanche drafted from 1995 until 2017. The team drafted a total of 194 players, with 51 being from Europe (26.3%). Listed after the draft year are the name of the player, his nationality and position, and the overall position and round he was drafted. Players which have appeared in at least one game for the Avalanche (either during the regular season or the playoffs) are marked in burgundy.
1995
John Tripp, Germany, forward, 77th (third)
He was re-drafted by Calgary in 1997. He played for the Rangers and Kings in 2002. Between 2004 and 2016, he played back home in Germany. He’s currently a head coach.
Tomi Kallio, Finland, forward, 81st (fourth)
He never even played for the Avs’ minor league affiliate. He changed NHL teams four times between 2000 and 2003. Since 2003, he’s been playing Europe and currently serves as the captain of TPS Turku.
Tomi Hirvonen, Finland, forward, 207th (eighth)
He never played in the NHL, nor in any other North American league. He retired in 2006 at just 29.
1996
Yuri Babenko, Russia, forward, 51st (second)
He had a three-game taste of the NHL with Colorado. After another year in the AHL, he returned to Russia, where he still played until last season. He won the KHL twice. He’s currently an assistant head coach.
Kai Fischer, Germany, goalie, 160th (sixth)
He never played overseas. He spent the majority of his career in lower-tier German leagues before retiring in 2016.
Samuel Pahlsson, Sweden, forward, 176th (seventh)
He made multiple NHL comebacks, but never played for the Avs. He finished his career after three seasons in Sweden in 2015. He won both the Olympics and the Stanley Cup with Anaheim once.
Roman Pylner, Czech Republic, forward, 188th (seventh)
He retired at 22 following a short stint in the WHL.
1997
Ville Nieminen, Finland, forward, 78th (third)
The first European draft pick to establish himself with the Avalanche. He played three solid seasons in Colorado, winning the Stanley Cup once. He played for a number of NHL teams until 2007. Afterwards, he spent the following eight seasons back home in Finland. He’s currently an assistant coach.
David Aebischer, Switzerland, goalie, 161st (sixth)
A Stanley Cup Champion. He backed up Patrick Roy. Solid goalie. Failed to establish himself as starter in the NHL after his departure from Colorado. He retired after playing in his native Switzerland in 2014. He’s a long-time goalie coach.
1998
Martin Skoula, Czech Republic, defenseman, 17th (first)
Another Stanley Cup Champion from 2001. He played five seasons in Colorado and played in the NHL until 2010. He spent the following five seasons in Europe before retiring.
Evgeny Lazarev, Ukraine, forward, 79th (third)
He played for the Avs’ minor league affiliate, but never made it to the NHL. Following a brief stint back home, he played in various minor North American leagues, where he retired in 2007 as a 27-year-old.
Alexander Ryazantsev, Russia, defenseman, 167th (sixth)
He only played for Colorado during the preseason, also appearing in the game in Sweden back in 2001. He didn’t stay in the AHL, opting to play in Russia, where he played until 2015. He won the KHL once.
1999
Mikhail Kuleshov, Russia, forward, 25th (first)
Like Babenko, he also only played three games for the Avs. He retired as a 25-year-old after playing in Belarus.
Branko Radivojevic, Slovakia, forward, 93rd (third)
Colorado never gave him a real chance, but he managed to earn playing time in other NHL teams. He’s been playing in Europe since 2008, appearing in a number of European leagues.
Sanny Lindstrom, Sweden, defenseman, 112nd (fourth)
He only played in the minors. He played ten seasons in Europe since 2002.
Kristian Kovac, Slovakia, forward, 122nd (fourth)
He never even got to the minors. He later played in Romania, France and Hungary, where he retired in 2009 as a 28-year-old.
Anders Lovdahl, Sweden, forward, 158th (sixth)
After playing in the Juniors, he returned to Sweden, where he played until last season.
Riku Hahl, Finland, forward, 183rd (sixth)
He spent three seasons in Colorado. Afterwards, he returned to Finland, where he finished his illustrious career as a team captain
Radim Vrbata, Czech Republic, forward, 212nd (seventh)
Colorado got rid of him during his second season with the team. He still plays in the NHL and is one of the more consistent scorers in the league.
2000
Vaclav Nedorost, Czech Republic, forward, 14th (first)
He played in the memorable Swedish game in 2001, after which he got injured. Injuries destroyed his NHL career, which ultimately ended in 2004. He’s been playing in Europe ever since.
Sergei Soin, Russia, forward, 50th (second)
He never left Russia and still plays in the KHL, winning the league title twice.
Agris Saviels, Latvia, defenseman, 63rd (second)
He never got a real shot in Colorado. He played in various European countries. He’s played the last four seasons in the Latvian league, earning both team and individual accolades.
Sergei Klyazmin, Russia, forward, 92nd (third)
He only played in the minors, even playing for the Colorado Eagles. He retired as a 23-year-old in 2005.
2001
Peter Budaj, Slovakia, goalie, 63rd (second)
He earned a roster spot in Colorado and spent six seasons in Denver. He made an NHL comeback after playing in the AHL and is still in the league thanks to his efforts and hard work.
Frantisek Skladany, Slovakia, forward, 143rd (fifth)
He has a college degree from the USA. He battled in the AHL until 2006 and never played for the Avs despite getting a call-up. He’s currently playing in the Czech league.
Mikko Viitanen, Finland, defenseman, 149th (fifth)
Just like Skladaný, he also left the AHL in 2006. He played in Finland until 2015.
Marek Svatos, Slovakia, forward, 227th (seventh)
An immensely talented player, who was slowed down by injuries. He couldn’t find his feet in the NHL after his departure from Colorado. He played in Europe until 2013. He died of an overdose last year.
2002
Jonas Johansson, Sweden, forward, 28th (first)
He played his only NHL game for Washington. He played in Europe up until last year when he retired. He won the AHL’s Calder Cup once.
Mikko Kalteva, Finland, defenseman, 107th (fourth)
He never left Finland and still plays there today.
Sergei Shemetov, Russia, forward, 258th (eight)
He only played in lower-tier Russian leagues, where he retired as a 25-year-old.
2003
David Svagrovsky, Czech Republic, forward, 131st (fourth)
He only played in the minors, also playing for the Eagles. He then returned to his homeland, where he served as captain in the second highest league up until the last season.
Linus Videll, Sweden, forward, 204th (seventh)
He never played overseas. He currently plays in the KHL.
2004
Denis Parshin, Russia, forward, 72nd (third)
For 13 years, the Avalanche had to include him in the organizational system, about which we wrote an article some time ago. He never played in North America, only venturing overseas for the draft. He currently plays in the KHL.
Richard Demen-Willaume, Sweden, defenseman, 154th (fifth)
Aside from nine games in the CHL, he spent his entire career in Europe, retiring as a 33-year-old in 2013.
Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
08/11/2017 - 12:00
