If you’ve been following sports long enough, you’ve probably heard the saying “pound the table” when it comes to the draft – guys that someone will fight for if a decision needs to be made on who to take at a certain spot. It’s a common saying in the NFL, but it applies to all sports, including the NHL.
Last summer, I sat down for a long interview with Jérôme Bérubé of HockeyProspect.com. He’s their Director of Scouting, and every year, they release the gold standard for NHL Draft guides, the Black Book. Their 2024 edition will unfortunately be their last when it comes to the current format, and was just released this week. As I do every year, I would highly recommend it.
Rather than taking up another hour of his time this year, I had Jérôme send me some players he would “pound the table” for at 24 if he was in charge of the Colorado Avalanche. Last year, he specifically mentioned Bradley Nadeau and Easton Cowan, who went after Colorado picked Calum Ritchie. Cowen just won OHL Player Of The Year, and Nadeau had a great Freshman season at Maine, so Bérubé knows what he’s talking about.
Here’s who he said he would go to bat for if he was in charge of the 24th pick.
