The Avalanche held on to its first-round pick Tuesday night and selected defenseman Justin Barron at No. 25 of the NHL’s virtual draft.
Barron, 18, is from Nathan MacKinnon’s hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds he is considered an elite two-way defenseman. Barron was limited to just 34 games last season because of a blood clot in his arm, but still led all Mooseheads defensemen in scoring with 19 points (four goals).
He was named to the QMJHL all-rookie team in 2017-18 and will likely play his fourth full season with the team this coming season, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Dec.