MacKinnon: Future Superstar?
This week's question is about the Colorado Avalanche's young superstar:
"Statistically Nathan MacKinnon is having a better rookie season that Wayne Gretzky, is this kid the future of Colorado hockey? Or is this just beginners luck?"
When the Avs snapped up MacKinnon at the 2013 Draft, they knew they had something special. MacKinnon, tore the junior leagues apart with his incisive and unselfish play. He may only be 18, but his hockey brain is fully developed. He knows when to shoot and when to pass. MacKinnon takes chances, but will happily provide assists when a colleague has a better chance. It's no surprise he was the first overall draft pick.
So far, MacKinnon has 58 points from 75 games (0.77 per game). If this stays the same and he plays all 82 regular season games, then he'll finish on 63 points. This is a pretty good total for a rookie season, although it doesn't quite match up to Sidney Crosby (102) and Alexander Ovechkin (106).
Still, let's not take away from MacKinnon's performance. Only Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog have scored more points (so far) for the Avs.
Is this beginner's luck? No. The lowest amount of points MacKinnon scored in the juniors was 75, and their seasons are shorter. Sure he's not scoring has much as before, but he's playing with a new team and against a higher standard of opposition.
The biggest challenge the Avs will face is keeping hold of MacKinnon when his three year, entry level contract ends. He's going to become an attractive target for other teams if he carries on like this.
"Statistically Nathan MacKinnon is having a better rookie season that Wayne Gretzky, is this kid the future of Colorado hockey? Or is this just beginners luck?"
When the Avs snapped up MacKinnon at the 2013 Draft, they knew they had something special. MacKinnon, tore the junior leagues apart with his incisive and unselfish play. He may only be 18, but his hockey brain is fully developed. He knows when to shoot and when to pass. MacKinnon takes chances, but will happily provide assists when a colleague has a better chance. It's no surprise he was the first overall draft pick.
So far, MacKinnon has 58 points from 75 games (0.77 per game). If this stays the same and he plays all 82 regular season games, then he'll finish on 63 points. This is a pretty good total for a rookie season, although it doesn't quite match up to Sidney Crosby (102) and Alexander Ovechkin (106).
Still, let's not take away from MacKinnon's performance. Only Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog have scored more points (so far) for the Avs.
Is this beginner's luck? No. The lowest amount of points MacKinnon scored in the juniors was 75, and their seasons are shorter. Sure he's not scoring has much as before, but he's playing with a new team and against a higher standard of opposition.
The biggest challenge the Avs will face is keeping hold of MacKinnon when his three year, entry level contract ends. He's going to become an attractive target for other teams if he carries on like this.
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