Drafted 10^th overall in 2015, Mikko Rantanen came with high expectations after a tremendous junior career in Finland.  Rantanen didn’t play much with the big club as a rookie, as he played mostly in the AHL, where he was the co-winner of the Rookie of the Year.  Rantanen would win a permanent roster spot the following year and score 38 Points, but afterward, he would begin his ascent to greatness.  

Scott Young won a Stanley Cup ring with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was traded the following year, choosing to play in Italy and represent the United States at the 1992 Olympics.

Ryan O’Reilly was a 2^nd Round Pick in 2009, and he would shockingly make the opening day roster, making him the youngest player in Avalanche history.  As a rookie, O'Reilly had 26 Points, a number he would repeat the following season.  2011-12 would be a nice season for O'Reilly, who scored 55 Points.  People around the NHL were noticing his solid two-way play, and he would finish 14^th in voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. 

One of the most delightful stories in Avalanche history is the success of Brett Clark.  After years of bouncing back and forth from the NHL to the minors with the Montreal, Atlanta, and Colorado organizations, at age 28, he broke out as a very capable two-way Defenseman at the elite level of hockey.