For the first time this year, Nathan MacKinnon occupies the number one slot in the Calder race poll according the hockeysfuture.com experts.
While he has become the best rookie in the eyes of a panel of aficionados, he is already becoming the best position player in the eyes of some Colorado Avalanche fans. This opinion has blossomed because of his great play of late. In January alone, he scored nine goals and stockpiled thirteen points, in the fourteen games played, bringing him to 37 for the season, on pace for 57 overall.
And it’s not just the numbers he is producing, but also the “way he is playing the game of hockey”. You might hear that phrase regurgitated a lot, but it really applies to MacKinnon. It is a privilege to watch him skate on the ice, where he resembles a water bug skidding on the surface of water, with a working rocket bolted to his back. Whether he actually produces stats is a non-factor, because every time the puck hits the tape of his stick, defenders give him extraordinary amounts of space, respecting him for the various ways he’s dangerous.
On February 1st, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post stated, “Gabe Landeskog, the 2012 Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year, produced his third career multiple-goal game today. MacKinnon had three multiple-goal games in January.” This was after a 7-1 over the Buffalo Sabres where MacKinnon had a goal and two assists.
Chambers also put in his two-cents about MacKinnon: “…and the best thing about following this kid is he’s impossible to miss. His powerful stride and sick hands only begins to describe his flashy skill-set, yet he’s as humble and unassuming as any kid I know. As for confidence, he told me it’s continually getting better.”
Did we mention he’s not even eighteen and the half yet? When Colorado drafted him, he was still seventeen. Usually professional athletes don’t reach their statistical prime until the age of twenty-eight. While it may be a bit younger for hockey players, the fact remains that MacKinnon is still so young that he is just scratching the surface of what he is capable of.
Coming out of junior, scouts were praising his hockey abilities. They said he had super speed, great strength, but most importantly the complete control over the intangibles. Take the Memorial Cup for example, where he had a hat trick in the championship game, a feat he also accomplished in the Gold Medal game of the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. No matter how big the stage, the moment just doesn’t seem to faze this kid.
When Colorado held the first overall pick in a draft where many analysts saw franchise talent in the best five to ten players available, they had a wonderful, but critical decision. They could go not really go wrong drafting any of the players, yet they had a chance to possibly bring a true super-star into their city for years on end.
For many, the consensus choice was Seth Jones, where even Adrian Dater, the Colorado Avalanche beat writer, noted that Seth was a “can’t miss” defenseman. But look at the people in charge of making the final decision: Joe Sakic, and Patrick Roy. These are former players who are engraved forever in championship lore in the NHL. Whatever they saw in MacKinnon, they liked more than any other player.
For the remainder of the season, it is not out of the question to think Nathan MacKinnon can be a point-per-game player. And it is imperative he stays consistent in his play entering the playoffs. If the Avalanche ever get deep into May, expect MacKinnon to justify Roy and Sakic in choosing him to be Colorado’s next super-star.
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