Avalanche 1st round pick (Mikhail Gulyayev) wants nothing to do with the AHL

Every player’s journey is different.

Some of them need extra time to develop properly… and that’s one of the reasons why the AHL exists.

But Mikhail Gulyayev, an Avalanche prospect drafted in the first round (2023), has an idea in mind. It’s the NHL or nothing.

Gulyayev is a defenseman who is currently pursuing his development in Russia.

He played for HK Avangard Omsk last season and is seen as a promising project in Colorado.

His plan is to stay in Russia for a few more years, but he’s not afraid to say it openly: his dream is to play in the NHL.

He’s not interested in the American League… And he says he’ll come to North America only if the Avalanche allow him to play in the National League:

I’m following my dream and I’m not interested in anything else. I’m not against the AHL, it’s a good league, but if I go to America and play, I’ll only play in the NHL. – Mikhail Gulyayev

In a new interview with @RGSafePlay, Avalanche 1st round pick Mikhail Gulyayev made it clear he’s taking his time to get to the NHL, the only NA league he wants to play in.https://t.co/bs4hiQ4sAb

– Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) August 8, 2024

It’s understandable, in a way.

He doesn’t want to leave the KHL to play in the minors…

But on the other side of the coin, it’s hard to believe that the Avalanche organization is hyper-satisfied with his comments.

It’s not up to him to choose his fate, after all…. And the organization will want to make a decision to help him progress.

He has to understand that too.

It’s likely to cause a stir in Denver, and that makes sense. Imagine if Ivan Demidov said the same thing about the Rocket and the AHL…

News flash: there’d be trouble in town. And with good reason!

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