Cale Makar and Ian Mitchell were the top NHL draft-eligible defensemen in the Alberta Junior Hockey League last season. They became the first two AJHL players selected in the 2017 draft, with Makar going to the Avalanche in the first round (No. 4 overall) and Mitchell to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second (57th).
The former junior-A rivals — Makar played for the Brooks Bandits outside Calgary, Mitchell with the Spruce Grove Saints near Edmonton — now have college hockey and Colorado in common. Makar, a freshman at the University of Massachusetts, could play for the Avs as soon as next season.