The Avalanche selected center
Tyson Jost with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NHL draft Friday at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
I was hoping they'd get 6-6, 220-pound center
Logan Brown when he was available, but general manager
Joe Sakic went for the 5-11, 190-pound Jost, who will attend the University of North Dakota -- defending NCAA champions -- in the fall.
Jost, 18, was named the British Columbia Hockey League MVP this past season after he had 42 goals and 62 assists in 48 games for the Penticton Vees. He also was named the Canadian Junior Hockey League National Player of the Year.
"He's just a great hockey player," Sakic said during an interview on
NBC Sports. "He does everything well. He skates, he's got great vision, he plays a great 200-foot game, and we're very excited that he's on board and we were able to get him.
"In his entire young career he's always been a leader. You cannot have enough character guys. He's a leader on the ice, he does everything you can ask from a hockey player."
Alan Hepple, the Avalanche's director of amateur scouting, said in a release:
"(Jost) controls the puck, has great offensive ability and makes players around him better. He is a good passer, sees the ice very well. He doesn’t get intimidated, plays a big game and plays with lots of heart. And certainly his skill level is over the top.”
Jost finished second on the Vees in goals, points and game-winning goals (seven). He shared the team lead in power-play assists with 30. He had six goals and eight assists in 11 playoff games.
Jost captained Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he led the tournament in scoring with six goals and nine assists in seven games. His 15 points broke the Canadian record for the event, set by
Connor McDavid in 2013. Jost was selected as the tournament’s best forward and named to the All-Star Team.
Jost helped Canada’s Under-18 team win the gold medal at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup tournament, and he won gold with Canada at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge.
Jost had 23 goals and 22 assists in 46 games for Penticton in 2014-15 when the Vees won the BCHL championship. He had 10 goals and four assists in 21 playoff games and made the league's All-Rookie Team.
Hockey analyst
Craig Button compared Jost's character and will to win with that of Chicago star
Jonathan Toews, and views Jost as a future captain.
"Somehow, some way, he wants to make things happen," Button said of Jost. "When you think of a Jonathan Toews, you're just not going to get pushed out of a game -- whether it be a defensive faceoff, whether it be a battle along the boards, whether it be making sure you get the puck out of your zone, but don't underestimate his skill.
"One thing about Tyson Jost, he can make plays. He's so aware of what's happening around him. That's with the puck, without the puck. And like Jonathan Toews, Tyson Jost has got a lethal shot. He can get into the open ice and when he gets out to the net, he can score.
"He is a fierce competitor, he will not allow an opponent to get an advantage on him. He will refuse to allow that to happen."
Here's a terrific
The Hockey News story on what it took Jost to get this far.
*****
The Avalanche have five picks Saturday: second round (No. 40), third (No. 71), fifth (No. 131), sixth (No. 161) and seventh (No. 191).
The Avalanche traded their fourth-round pick (and minor leaguer
Colin Smith) in February to Toronto for forward
Shawn Matthias, who will be an unrestricted free agent July 1.
*****
The Avalanche on Friday announced that forward
Andreas Martinsen, a restricted free agent, has been re-signed to a one-year contract. It's a one-way deal for $640,000.
The 6-3, 220-pound Martinsen had four goals and seven assists in 55 games last season. He had one goal and one assist in 10 games with San Antonio in the AHL.
Martinsen, 26, played for his native Norway in the IIHF World Championships and had two goals and one assist in seven games.
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