The Avalanche selected NCAA-bound defenseman Cale Makar with the fourth pick in the first round of the NHL draft Friday.
Makar, 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, is a standout Tier-II player for Brooks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He is committed to play hockey for Massachusetts-Amherst next season, and is now the highest-drafted player in AJHL history, surpassing Avalanche forward Joe Colborne, who was selected 16th in 2008 before joining the University of Denver as a freshman.
Makar, from Calgary, Alberta, is the Avalanche’s second consecutive first-round pick from Canada to choose the college-hockey route over the Canadian Hockey League (major-junior).