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: Shawn Carrier
Age: 19
Position: Left Wing
Height: 5’11
Weight: 187 lbs
Likely 2026-27 Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
2025 Rank: N/A
Final Rank: #19
High Rank: #10 (Brennan)
Low Rank: #31 (Jess)
2025-26 Statistics:
Halifax Mooseheads – 61 GP: 37G, 28A, 65P
Not all
members of the Colorado Avalanche’s nine-pick 2026 draft class made it on the Top 25 Under 25 list this year, therefore left wing Shawn Carrier must have made an impression on those who saw him at development camp. He was the first of three taken in the seventh round by Colorado at 195th overall. It seems the organization is clearly thinking of a Nikita Prishchepov type success with selecting a similar type player who had also been passed over in the draft once before out of the QMJHL.
In 2025 Carrier was ranked at #148 by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters and certainly could have been drafted last year after scoring 44 points in 59 games with Halifax. It was the jump from 18 goals to 37, good for eighth in the league and second in scoring on his team in his third QMJHL season, which caught the attention of the Avalanche to invest a draft pick in him. The Quebec native brings pedigree to the table as he was the sixth overall pick to Moncton in the 2023 QMJHL draft but a slow start with the Wildcats saw him traded for a better opportunity in Halifax where he’s flourished.
The competitive determination Carrier plays with despite not having exceptional size was evident in the few days of on-ice work at development camp. The nose he has for the net front and ability to score is an enticing attribute and hints at projections for those bottom six type forwards with a little skill mixed with grit which are valuable in the NHL.
But first, Carrier is poised to return to Halifax this fall for his fourth season in the QMJHL and then he’s committed to Boston University starting the 2027-28 season. Those plans hint at a longer runway to professional hockey for Carrier but that might set him up for better success when he does join the Avalanche organization.
2026 Top 25 Under 25
#24 Axel Eloffson
#23 Teddy Lechner
#22 Ivan Yunin
#21 Louka Cloutier
