Avalanche's first selection in this year's NHL Draft has a shocking message to fans
Photo credit: Zac BonDurant / Mile High Sticking
Francesco Dell'Elce is the newest UMass defenseman to become part of the Avalanche organization.
Colorado picked Dell'Elce in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft following his freshman year at UMass.
Avalanche prospect has a shocking message for fans.
Coby Maier from NHL.com writes that the youngster admitted feeling both excited and surprised when he found out he'd been selected by the Avalanche.
«The high-caliber players that play here, I think there's a lot of guys that I watch and kind of look up to and try and model my game after. So I was really excited.» -Dell'Elce
Another Avalanche defenseman with UMass roots is two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, who spent two seasons with the Minutemen. Dell'Elce noted that Makar's name is well-known and highly respected around campus.
"To this day, he's still talked about by teachers I take classes with. Not even just in the hockey aspect. They talk about not only he was a great player, but a great person. So I think that's something that our school tries to preach, and something that I'm also trying to become.» -Dell'Elce
During his freshman season in 2024-25, he tallied 24 points (7 goals, 17 assists) over 40 games, leading all Minutemen defenseman in both goals and assists. He mentioned that his biggest area of improvement last season was his defensive play.
«I think that's just something I'm going to continue to grow for as long as I'm playing hockey. So I think that's just something I'm going to keep chipping away at.» -Dell'Elce
Heading into his sophomore year, Dell'Elce aims to leverage this summer's development camp as a stepping stone to take on a larger role in his upcoming season.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 4 | 16 ANSWERS Avalanche's first selection in this year's NHL Draft has a shocking message to fans Do you think Avalanche prospect Francesco Dell'Elce has a future in the NHL? | ||
| yes | 8 | 50 % |
| no | 8 | 50 % |
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