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Justin Barron tabbed at No. 25 |
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Rick Sadowski
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Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic had to wait longer than usual before announcing the team’s first-round pick in the NHL draft on Tuesday.
Sakic tabbed Halifax Mooseheads defenseman Justin Barron, 18, with the No. 25 pick in a draft that took place remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Hopefully it’ll be late first round from here on out," Sakic said. "It’s a long day, but it's great when you can sit back and watch the draft unfold.”
Limited to 34 games because of a blood clot in his arm, the 6-feet-2, 195-pound Barron had 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 2019-20.
Barron underwent a medical procedure and both he and Sakic said he’s just fine.
“He had a clean bill of health from the doctors and no issues there,” Sakic said. “It’s the same sort of stuff that a couple other players in the National Hockey League have had, and they’ve had no problem after the procedure. We’re very confident in that.”
Named team captain, Barron has played one game for Halifax since the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League began the 2020-21 season on Oct. 2.
Sakic said Barron was the best player available on the Avalanche list when it came time for them to pick.
“You can never have enough good, young defensemen,” Sakic said. “He’s a bigger guy, he skates real well, he moves the puck. He may not be the highest point producer, but he plays a real, real solid two-way game and he’s going to really complement our D.
“He’s really going to add to the way we like to play the game. We like to play from the back end (with) a lot of speed, a lot of puck moving ability, and he’s a real good two-way player. He can defend well and penalty kill as well.”
Aside from getting a call from Sakic, Barron said he received congratulatory text messages from Avalanche star and fellow Nova Scotian Nathan MacKinnon and Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar.
“It’s really special,” Barron said of being drafted from Halifax. “Sometimes the Maritimes are overlooked for hockey and prospects, but for the past few years we’ve really shown that we have some Type A players from around here. I think hockey here is really on the come-up and it’s only getting better.”
Barron was ranked No. 16 among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau. He likely would have been much higher except for his health issue.
“It hasn’t really crossed my mind now,” he said. “Getting the procedure done with what caused the blood clot was the right decision for me and my career. We informed all the teams with that, we sent them all the medical records. At that point, it’s really up to them.
“Obviously Colorado kind of saw that the procedure was done well, and it was a good decision, and they kind of looked past that. They looked at the bright spots in my game. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Colorado Avalanche.”
Barron has 81 points (15 goals, 66 assists) in 154 games, all with Halifax. He had a career-high 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) in 68 games and was a plus-41 in 2018-19. He had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 23 postseason games that year.
His brother, Morgan Barron, was a sixth-round pick (No. 174) of the New York Rangers in 2017. A center, he signed with the Rangers after playing three years at Cornell; he was a 2019-20 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
The Avalanche have one pick each in rounds three through seven on Wednesday: third round (No. 75), fourth (No. 118), fifth (No. 149), sixth (No. 167) and seventh (No. 211).
The NHL Network and Sportsnet will broadcast starting at 9:30 a.m. MT.
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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced before the draft that the league and NHL Players’ Association are targeting Jan. 1 to begin the 2020-21 season.
No estimated time yet for the start of training camp.
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