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: Axel Elofsson
Age: 18
Position: RD
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 169 lbs
Likely 2026-27 Team: Oskarshamn (Allsvenskan)
2025 Rank: N/A
Final Rank: #24
High Rank: #12 (Jackie)
Low Rank: #29 (Adrian, Matthew)
2025-26 Statistics:
Örebro HK U20 (U20 Nationell) – 32 GP, 9 G,
32 A, 41 pts, +28, 20 PIM
The Avalanche weren’t a team with a lot of draft capital this year, but that didn’t stop them from selecting a defender with a style we’re used to seeing. Axel Elofsson is an undersized, right-shot defenseman with plenty of skill who landed in the top 50 on many draft boards.
Some of you will cringe at this (not me), but I want you to think of a right-handed Samuel Girard with a much better shot. He harnesses many of the skills that developed into the divine talents of Erik Karlsson. Obviously there’s plenty to prove post-draft to gain that sort of esteem, but he was technically, and in terms of skill, this kid has the groundwork to become a dynamic NHLer.
In fact, he realized (statistically) more success than his fellow Swede, Karlsson, during his time with the U20 league with 41 points in just 32 games.
He’s also a decorated junior in terms of international success, as he helped lead Sweden U18 to gold at worlds, including a very pretty play in the gold-medal game featuring a toe drag at the blue line and finding a streaking teammate who went backdoor and scored.
It’s definitely the offensive upside for Axel, and fortunately for Avalanche fans, he’s young enough that he should be able to grow a bit.
He can control the puck and fits into the pendulum swing toward favoring defenders who can dictate possession and has a dangerous enough shot to make teams pay in transition or when out of position.
What he will have to work on in development is reigning in the high-risk side of his game, as he’s a bit of a liability defensively. That sort of thing will hold him back from higher-level opportunities; however, his dynamic ability offensively should give plenty of reason to invest in developing the defensive acumen in his game.
Landing Elofsson in the 4th round is awesome because he genuinely has a shot at being a home-run pick, but his size and defensive liabilities seem to have led to a slip. At the 128th overall draft position, he’s well worth the risk.
Jackie Kay ranked Elofsson highest at 12th, and Matthew and I ranked him lowest at 29th; however, if he has another great year and can grow a little, both physically and in his positional defensive play, I’ll be placing him in my top 10 next season.
Let us know what you think of this prospect in the comments!
