DENVER -- Addressing two areas of need, the Colorado Avalanche selected a skilled forward and two big defensemen on the first day of the NHL draft on Saturday.

Colorado's choice in the first round was right wing Jonas Johansson, an 18-year-old from Sweden who aspires to play like one of his countrymen, Avalanche star Peter Forsberg.

"I hope I can be a goal scorer like Peter,'' said Johansson, who was the 28th player selected.

In the second round, the Avalanche picked defenseman John Boychuk of Calgary in the Western Hockey League. In the third round, the Avs went for defenseman Eric Lundberg of Providence College.

The draft, conducted in Toronto, will resume with rounds four through nine on Sunday.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Johansson was Central Scouting's 19th-rated prospect among European forwards and defenseman. Despite missing time with a broken left collarbone, he had 15 goals and 19 assists in 26 games with the HV71 junior team.

Asked if he had expected to be taken in the first round, Johansson said, "No, it surprised me. I was thinking second or third round.''

Jim Hammett, Colorado's chief scout, called Johansson "an intelligent hockey player who is highly skilled. We expect big things out of him. We certainly had him rated pretty highly. We thought we had him rated appropriately, injury or not. To get that skill level at the point we did, we're very, very happy.

"He has very good hockey sense, which you can't teach. He's a creative player who handles the puck well and makes good decisions. His passing and finishing skills are very good. He's light on his feet. He has a great combination of natural talent.''

Hammett said it hasn't been decided whether Johansson will play in Sweden next season or in the United States.

Boychuk, 6-2 and 209 pounds, was rated 51st among North American forwards and defensemen. The 18-year-old was the 61st player taken.

"For a big man, he has a lot of qualities you don't see at his age,'' Hammett said. "He's a good skater, he has an extremely heavy shot and he's not afraid to handle the puck,'' Hammett said. "He definitely has a tough side to him.''

Hammett said the 6-3, 200-pound Lundberg is similar to Boychuk. Lundberg, 19, was rated 68th by Central Scouting.

"By NHL standards, these kids are already big enough to play,'' he said. "They both play with a bite to them, with some aggressiveness.''

Hammett said the Avalanche adhered to their draft philosophy of taking the best athlete available.

"If you could see our list, you'd see that we did that,'' he said.

Still, he noted, "all of these kids are going to need some development with their respective leagues. Their time line (for reaching the NHL) shouldn't be too far off.''

Colorado had targeted five players with its first-round selection: centers Chris Higgins and Jakub Koreis, wingers Ben Eager and Daniel Paille and defenseman Denis Grebeshkov. But all five were taken within the first 23 picks.

The Avalanche entered the draft with 10 selections in the nine rounds. They have two picks in the fourth round, one for the loss of free agent Jon Klemm.

Colorado has flourished in the draft in recent years. Of the 24 players on the roster when the 2001-02 season ended, 13 were drafted by the organization.

They have enjoyed particular success in the mid to late rounds, taking Chris Drury with the 72nd pick overall and Milan Hejduk with the 87th pick, both in 1994. Dan Hinote was the 167th pick in 1996. Radim Vrbata was 212th in 1999.

By stockpiling picks and young prospects, they also have been able to pull off major trades, such as the deals for Forsberg, Ray Bourque, Rob Blake, Theo Fleury and Steven Reinprecht.

Referring to the second day of the draft, Hammett said, "There are some good players still available, some kids we feel very strongly about and have rated pretty highly.''