If you take one peak at the top defensive prospects in the system for the Colorado Avalanche, they all have one thing in common – they’re all a little…undersized. There’s plenty of room for that in the NHL these days with how important puck movement is, but you have to have a little bit of everything.

You never want to draft based on need because needs change over time, but adding a bigger defenseman to the system wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. And around the 24th overall pick, there might be quite a few options for the Avalanche.

One of the biggest risers over the last few months has been Norway’s Stian Solberg. After an impressive performance at the World Championships, he’s almost a lock to go in round one. Another impressive young defenseman is Dominik Badinka, an 18 year old out of the Czech Republic who played regular minutes in the Swedish Hockey League as an 18 year old. Both are big and strong, and could be available at 24 when the Avalanche pick. I’ve had viewings of both of them, but wanted to pick the brains of a scout who had seen a lot more of them than I had.