The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club made three selections at the 2025 NHL Draft, held at the L.A. Live Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif.
After acquiring the 77th overall pick on Friday, the Avalanche used the third-round section on defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce (Fran-CHESS-co, DELL-EL-che) from UMass-Amherst (NCAA). Dell’Elce, 20, registered 24 points (7g/17a) in all 40 games for a Minutemen team that made it to the NCAA Regional Finals in 2024-25. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman led UMass blueliners in goals and assists and finished seventh among all team skaters in points.
A native of King City, Ontario, Dell’Elce was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. He tied for second in the nation in scoring among freshmen defensemen and checked in third in goals among that criteria. Entering the draft, Dell’Elce was ranked 82nd in Central Scouting’s final prospect rankings of North American skaters.
Prior to enrolling at UMass, Dell’Elce played a season for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees in 2023-24. He recorded 38 points (9g/29a) over 54 regular-season games to earn a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team and grab Second Team All-Star honors. Dell’Elce also chipped in eight points (2g/6a) in 22 playoff games that year to finish as the Fred Page Cup runner-up.
Dell’Elce also appeared in 120 total games with St. Andrew’s College and logged 123 points (40g/83a) over the 2021-23 campaigns.
With their next pick, the Avalanche chose defenseman Linus Funck (LEE-nus, FOON-sk) in the fourth round (118th overall). Funck, who was ranked 39th among European skaters by Central Scouting, played for Lulea HF’s under-20 club in 2024-25, his first full season in the J20 Nationell circuit. In what was his age-17 season, Funck recorded 28 points (5g/23a) in 48 regular-season games and added two points (1g/1a) in three J20 playoff games over the 2024-25 campaign.
The Lulea, Sweden, native led his hometown junior club in assists and points among defensemen, and finished fifth on the club in scoring overall. The 6-foot-3, 183-pound defenseman also dressed in eight games for the under-18 team’s playoff run last season and collected seven points (4g/3a) to finish as the J18 Nationell runner-up.
Funck, 18, spent part of 2023-24 with Lulea’s under-20 team and enters 2025-26 with 37 career points (6g/31a) in 68 regular-season contests at the J20 Nationell level over the last two seasons. He began competing for the program’s under-18 team in 2022-23, tallying 18 career points (5g/13a) in 23 regular-season J18 Nationell games as well as 35 career points (5g/30a) in 33 regular-season showings in the second-tier under-18 league over the 2022-24 campaigns.
In the seventh round (214th overall), Colorado took forward Nolan Roed from the USHL’s Tri-City Storm with its final pick, who was selected to the USHL Third All-Star Team during his draft year. Ranked 135th among North American skaters by Central Scouting, Roed appeared in 61 regular-season games for the Storm and rang up 60 points (27g/33a), pacing the team in goals (tied) and assists. In fact, his 60 points finished seventh in the entire league, while his seven shorthanded goal total led the circuit. Roed, 19, was limited to one Clark Cup playoff game in 2025 due to injury.
A native of White Bear Lake, Minn., Roed totaled 75 points (33g/42a) over 86 regular-season contests as well as six points (4g/2a) in seven playoff showings during his two-year USHL career (2023-25). He will be attending St. Cloud State in 2025-26.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward competed for White Bear Lake High School over parts of the 2021-24 seasons and was the team captain in 2023-24. In 83 career games for his local high school team, Roed compiled 153 points (76g/77a).
Roed’s father, Peter, was a second-round pick (38th overall) by San Jose in the 1995 NHL Draft and enjoyed a seven-year pro career in the ECHL, AHL UHL and Germany from 1996-03. His brother, Lleyton, is a professional hockey player in the Seattle Kraken’s prospect system.
