The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by Mile High Hockey staff members. Seven writers have ranked players under the age of 25 in the
Colorado Avalanche organization as of September 1, 2026. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.Name: Francesco Dell’Elce
Age: 21
Position: LD
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 180 lbs
Likely 2026-27 Team: UMass (NCAA)
2025 Rank: #16
Final Rank: #7
High Rank: #5 (Brennan)
Low Rank: #13 (Multiple)
2025-26 Statistics:
UMass (NCAA) – 36GP, 5G, 16A, 21P
There are plenty of ways to
make some noise in hockey. Francesco Dell’Elce might have found one of the more unique ones.
For starters, there’s an Italian EDM producer who shares his name. So when Dell’Elce starts lighting up the scoresheet, perhaps he should have his own soundtrack ready to go. A little wrist shot, a little bass drop.
Jokes aside, the hockey version of Francesco Dell’Elce is no gimmick.
Coming in at No. 7 on Mile High Hockey’s Top 25 Under 25, Dell’Elce has quietly developed into one of the more intriguing prospects in the Colorado Avalanche organization after spending the last two seasons at the University of Massachusetts. He has risen into our top 10 after landing at 16th on our list last year. It wasn’t so much through increased production as his 21 points didn’t quite reach the 24 he put up the year prior, which got him drafted at 77th overall in the third round of the 2025 draft as a re-entry. But it’s because so easy to see his development progress and close proximity to playing pro.
One of the first things that stands out about Dell’Elce is his leadership. He’s vocal, confident and not afraid to speak up when he sees something that needs to be addressed. He’s also comfortable communicating with his teammates and offering pointers, which is an underrated quality for a young player still working his way up the ladder.
Then there’s the part Avalanche fans are really going to love: Dell’Elce looks like he was built for Colorado’s system.
He’s an outstanding skater with the kind of smoothness that immediately jumps off the ice. Getting through the neutral zone and carrying the puck into the offensive zone is where he does some of his best work. He doesn’t panic under pressure, he’s difficult to knock off the puck and he consistently finds ways to get pucks toward the net. That combination of skating, puck control and attacking mentality fits the Avalanche’s identity extremely well.
At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Dell’Elce doesn’t necessarily jump off the page physically. But don’t let the numbers fool you. He’s strong, absorbs contact well and isn’t easy to separate from the puck. Add in a heavy shot, and there’s plenty to like about his offensive upside.
There’s still plenty of development ahead, but Dell’Elce has the tools to become a legitimate option for the Avalanche down the road. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 21-year-old sign with the Avalanche as soon as this spring following the conclusion of his junior year at UMass.
And if he starts scoring enough goals, we might as well get that EDM playlist ready.
2026 Top 25 Under 25
#25 Nikita Novosyolov
#24 Axel Eloffson
#23 Teddy Lechner
#22 Ivan Yunin
#21 Luka Cloutier
#20 Matthew DiMarsico
#19 Shawn Carrier
#18 Domenick Fensore
#17 Tory Pitner
#16 Jake Fisher
#15 Beckett Hamilton
#14 Linus Funck
#13 Alex Gagne
#12 Egor Shilov
#11 Zach L’Heureux
#10 Fabian Lysell
#9 Sean Behrens
#8 Nikita Prishchepov
