The Colorado Avalanche will soon have a new Director of Amateur Scouting.
Wade Klippenstein, who has been with the organization since 2016 and was promoted to Director of Amateur Scouting back in 2021, is leaving on July 1 and joining Notre Dame Hounds Hockey as their Director of Hockey Development. The organization confirmed to Colorado Hockey Now that his contract is up and was not renewed, clearing the path for him to move on. He will not be at the draft table with the team in Vegas.
Notre Dame proudly announces Wade Klippenstein, from the Colorado Avalanche, as new Director of Hockey Development. Wade officially joins Notre Dame College on July 1, 2024.#NDProud #amcnotredame #NHL #NDhounds #ndhoundsalumni #ndhoundshockey #csshl #saskhockey #sjhl pic.twitter.com/ziQJBTRffr
— Notre Dame Hounds Hockey (@NDHoundsHockey) June 12, 2024
Prior to joining the Avalanche back in 2016-17, the 54 year old was in the WHL, spitting time between the Prince George Cougars and the Brandon Wheat Kings. He started as an assistant coach before moving into the front office at Prince George. With Brandon, he was the Director of Scouting until the Avalanche stole him away.
Drafting hasn’t been easy for Colorado, which we touched on earlier today, especially after round one. Klippenstein really hasn’t been in charge of the draft for very long with the Avalanche, but the 2023 Draft seems to have been a particularly strong one for the organization. Both Calum Ritchie and Mikhail Gulyayev had solid D+1 seasons and look to be on the right track. Sean Behrens, who was the second round pick during his first draft in charge, also looks to have been a strong selection.
As for who Colorado will replace him with, one name to keep an eye on is Scott Harris. He joined the Avalanche during the 2022-23 season and is currently their Director of Scouting Operations. That’s a pretty big title, so he likely already has a big role in who the Avalanche take in the draft.
Prior to joining Colorado, he was the Director of Amateur Scouting for the New Jersey Devils from 2019-2022. Some notable names that the Devils drafted during that time are Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec, all of which look pretty solid right about now. Harris also worked with Chris MacFarland in Columbus. Colorado also has Miroslav Zalesak, who runs their scouting over in Europe, and there’s always the chance they look outside the organization.