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Mikko's hockey education continues in World Championships |
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Rick Sadowski
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There were few bright spots for the Avalanche this past season. Mikko Rantanen was the brightest of them all.
The 20-year-old rookie scored a team-leading 20 goals -- he had six goals in his final eight games -- and finished with 38 points in 75 games. His 15.0 shooting percentage also led the Avalanche, and he averaged 18:03 in ice time.
Rantanen is gaining more experience playing for Finland in the IIHF World Championship tournament; he's the team's second-leading scorer with seven points (two goals, five assists) in six games.
As well as he's playing and enjoying his time, the 6-feet-4, 211-pound forward would be happier if the Avalanche had made the Stanley Cup playoffs. They didn't come close, finishing a distant last in the NHL with a 22-56-4 record and 48 points.
"It was a tough year for the team," Rantanen said in an interview in Paris with NHL.com. "I got to play a lot and didn't have a lot of injuries. In that way it was a good year for me. But it's tough when you lose that many games. It's tough for any team, and any guy."
Avalanche teammate Matt Duchene, who's playing for Canada, gives Rantanen full marks for playing as well as he did during a nightmare of a season for Colorado.
"He played on, obviously, a really bad team this year with our team," Duchene said. "He still shined through. There's nothing but great things coming for him in his career.
"He's going to be an elite player for a long time in the league. He's so big and strong. He's got great hands, great speed and great vision. I think as he gets older he'll learn to use his size even better than he does already. He's just a horse of a kid already. He's going to be a great player for a long time."
Like fellow Avalanche forwards Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon, Rantanen was a first-round draft pick (No. 10 in 2015).
Unlike that trio, none of whom have played a game in the minors, Rantanen played 52 games with San Antonio of the AHL in 2015-16; he shared the league's Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award with Providence's Frank Vatrano as the league's most outstanding rookies. He led the Rampage in scoring with 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists).
"They're great guys," Rantanen said of Duchene, Landeskog and MacKinnon. "They're a bit older, so they're helping me a lot and that's helping any rookie. It's a big thing for me to get to know those guys quick. They brought me in well.
"You learn every game when you play your first full season in the NHL. It was a good year to learn. There's some things, of course, still to learn. I learned new things and it's made me ready for next year.
"Of course I'll try to be a big piece for the team and try to help the team even more," Rantanen added. "I want to take on a bigger role and be an even better player."
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Duchene's scoring woes continue. He has 10 shots and no points in six games. MacKinnon is tied for second in the tournament with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in six games. Landeskog has five points (two goals, three assists) in six games for Sweden.
Tyson Barrie, who will miss the rest of the tournament because of a leg laceration, had seven points (two goals, five assists) in three games for Canada. Calvin Pickard has won two of three starts for Canada with a 1.31 goals-against average and .941 save percentage.
J.T. Compher has two goals in six games for the United States, Andrei Mironov one goal in five games for Russia, and Carl Soderberg one assist in six games for Sweden.
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The Colorado Eagles, who are the Avalanche's ECHL affiliate, split the first two games of their best-of-seven Western Conference final with the Toledo (Ohio) Walleye.
The Eagles return home for Games 3, 4 and 5 on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
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