The Colorado Avalanche had seven picks in the 2020 EHEC Draft and came away with a solid array of prospects at forward, defence and goalie.

The Avs' improved play after the hiring of GM Josh Lewis resulted in their first-rounder sliding down to 10th overall. But they were able to snag Swedish right winger Noel Gunler, who projects as an offensive powerhouse with an absolute rocket of a shot and high-level playmaking ability. He also won't be a defensive liability.

"Gunler will almost certainly be one of our underagers in the AHL next season," Lewis said. "His shot is already close to NHL-ready."

In the second round, 40th overall, the Avalanche selected defenceman Ryan O'Rourke. He's a bruising rearguard who's expected to be an excellent shutdown option who can contribute here and there on the attack.

"He can hit guys hard with good timing," Lewis said. "We look forward to him being a linchpin on our blueline for many years to come."

Nine picks later, the Avs grabbed goaltender Calle Clang, who they expect to become a very consistent, solid 1B option.

"There were quite a number of goaltenders ranked very close to one another, but we took Clang because you know what you'll get from him game in, game out."

In the third round, 80th overall, Colorado selected another right winger, Brandon Coe, who projects as a heavy hitter in the bottom six with some moderate skill in the offensive zone.

When the Avs' fourth-round pick at 116th came around, the GM was nowhere to be found. League officials figured he was downing his seventh whiskey of the day out in the concourse, so they drafted left winger Dmitri Ovchinnikov for the Avalanche.

"At least he's not totally useless," Lewis slurred as he staggered back onto the draft floor.

The Russian forward has just enough talent in the offensive and defensive zones that he might crack the fourth line - not on any good team, mind you.

Colorado had two picks in the fifth and final round. With the 130th selection, they took defenceman Jake Ratzlaff, who should develop into a decent stay-at-home guy who can play on a third pairing.

With the third-last pick of the draft, 148th overall, the Avs took centre Daniel Ljungman, who has barely average puck skills and worse defensive acumen. He could play with Ovchinnikov on a poor team's fourth line.

"On the whole, we're pretty happy with our draft haul," Lewis said. "We added at least one prospect at every position. It was especially important to draft a solid goalie, as we had none in the junior ranks."