The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has hired Nick Pryor and Alexi Pianosi as theorganization’s Director of AmateurScouting and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, respectively. Both individuals will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of their departments.
Pryor, 33, spent the last three seasons as the Director of Amateur Scouting with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that role, he oversaw the organization’s scouting procedures at all amateur levels in both North America and Europe. Pryor’s two first-round selections during that span were Brayden Yager (14thoverall in 2023), who helped guide Moose Jaw to a WHL Championship in 2023-24, and Owen Pickering (21stoverall in 2022), who earned WHL First All-Star Team honors both seasons since being drafted.
Before joining the Penguins, Pryor was an amateur scout with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-21 wherehis area of focus was NCAA and USHL players. Notable draft choices the Flyers made from those leagues during that span include Cameron York (14thoverall in 2019), Bobby Brink (34thoverall in 2019), Joel Farabee (14thoverall in 2018) and Mark Friedman (86thoverall in 2014).
A native of St. Paul, Minn., Pryor played collegiately at the University of Maine from 2009-13 and competed in the USHL for one season before joining the Black Bears. The defenseman was a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2006-08 and won a bronze medal at the IIHF U-18 World Championship in 2008.
Pryor was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the seventh round (208thoverall) in the 2008 NHL Draft.
Pianosi, 35, was also most recently a member of the Penguins organization, joining the Strength and Conditioning staff in 2017-18. In each of the last five seasons, Pianosi served as the Strength Coach after being promoted ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. He was hired as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for his first season with the club in 2017-18. Pittsburgh qualified for the postseason in five of the seven seasons during his tenure.
Prior to joining the Penguins,Pianosi worked as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, coordinating their strength and conditioning, nutrition, and sports science programs.
A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Pianosi has operated a private business since 2009, working with professional and semi-professional hockey players from the Maritime region and beyond. Most notably, Pianosi began working with Stanley Cup champion and 2023-24 Hart Trophy winner Nathan Mackinnon in 2009, and has continued to work closely with the Avalanche forward during the off-season in Halifax.
Pianosi experienced a playing career in the QMJHL for the Moncton Wildcats, Victoriaville Tigres and Val-d’Or Foreurs from 2006-09 and later on played for Queens University while getting his Kinesiology degree from 2010-14.
