Nathan MacKinnon’s impact in NHL heads the Colorado Avalanche’s storylines for 2013-1

[HF Article]

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All eyes will be on Nathan MacKinnon on October 2nd as he will make the Colorado Avalanche’s opening night roster as the third line pivot. The 18-year-old rookie has big expectations coming in as the first overall pick but is in an excellent situation to excel as he will have the opportunity to learn from some of the league’s best centermen, including rising star Matt Duchene.



Elsewhere, other prospects in the Avalanche system will be looked upon to fill leadership and veteran roles as they continue their development on their respective junior and NCAA teams. Below are some storylines you might want to pay attention to this season if you are an Avalanche fan.… read more



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[Lonewolfe2015]

Honestly, MacKinnon is one of the lowest areas of interest for me as a fan. I'm much more interested to see Duchene, O'Reilly and Landeskog's progress as young stars. EJ's hopeful stabilization of our blueline, Varly in net and Roy as a coach. MacKinnon could score 20 points next year and I'd for the most part not be phased by it.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Thanks for the article. Good read.

Really hoping for Hishon to stay healthy. This kid deserves some luck to come his way.

I still can't believe how much Young is underrated on these boards. Nobody ever includes him in discussions regarding the Avs' D future. I think he has a very decent chance in making it as a bottom pair. I really hope he signs with the Avs this spring so we can finally see him at training camp. This year he will be asked to provide more offensively. This guy will turn out to be a steal in the 7th round.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I enjoyed the article, thanks. it's always nice to read current information when so many articles just recycle the old news that's already out there.

No we don't need MacKinnon to light it up but it's a luxury if he does well. I'm intrigued by him but I'm also interested in the entire roster and about half of Lake Erie's too.

 

[the_fan]

Mackinnon is a bust, 0 points so far

 

[The Kingslayer]

Going to regret not drafting Barkov and the other star players in last years draft. Mackinnon is Patrick Stefan and Alexander Daigle like or didnt you know?

 

[not a troll]

Honestly, MacKinnon is one of the lowest areas of interest for me as a fan. I'm much more interested to see Duchene, O'Reilly and Landeskog's progress as young stars. EJ's hopeful stabilization of our blueline, Varly in net and Roy as a coach. MacKinnon could score 20 points next year and I'd for the most part not be phased by it.

I'd love to write about them too but unfortunately they're no longer considered prospects.

 

[avsfan09]

Honestly, MacKinnon is one of the lowest areas of interest for me as a fan. I'm much more interested to see Duchene, O'Reilly and Landeskog's progress as young stars. EJ's hopeful stabilization of our blueline, Varly in net and Roy as a coach. MacKinnon could score 20 points next year and I'd for the most part not be phased by it.

Really? I'll admit I'm really excited to watch Dutchy and O'reilly but lowest points of interest? He's going to be our franchise player.

I can't wait to watch him develope. In a year where we most likely aren't going to be making an impact around the league, watching our soon to be best player develop is going to be exciting.

 

[bohlmeister]

Honestly, MacKinnon is one of the lowest areas of interest for me as a fan. I'm much more interested to see Duchene, O'Reilly and Landeskog's progress as young stars. EJ's hopeful stabilization of our blueline, Varly in net and Roy as a coach. MacKinnon could score 20 points next year and I'd for the most part not be phased by it.

 

[agentblack]

Mack will do alright. I dont see him lasting as a C the whole season to be honest.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

I'd love to write about them too but unfortunately they're no longer considered prospects.

No problem, just my opinion from the title of the article that made me feel like you were trying to say MacKinnon was the most important part of our upcoming season.

It's still a ton better than what I used to read.

As prospects go though, I think our defensive guys are the most exciting area of development for the club. We've never had a strong defensive corps, yet we drafted all defenders outside Nate last year and we'll get to enjoy their progress over the next 3-4 years and see who pans out. Plus Siemens, Elliott, Barrie, Beaupre and Lauridsen currently playing pro hockey.

Really? I'll admit I'm really excited to watch Dutchy and O'reilly but lowest points of interest? He's going to be our franchise player.

I can't wait to watch him develope. In a year where we most likely aren't going to be making an impact around the league, watching our soon to be best player develop is going to be exciting.

Yep. I'm a defensive guy, always have been and always will be. It's how I teach the kids I coach to play too. Defensive hockey. MacKinnon is neither a defensive center nor a defender, I enjoyed O'Reilly more than Duchene their rookie years. I am also very doubtful about MacKinnon's true potential and skeptical he will reach it anytime soon. Just my two cents.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Yep. I'm a defensive guy, always have been and always will be. It's how I teach the kids I coach to play too. Defensive hockey. MacKinnon is neither a defensive center nor a defender, I enjoyed O'Reilly more than Duchene their rookie years. I am also very doubtful about MacKinnon's true potential and skeptical he will reach it anytime soon. Just my two cents.

Uhhh, what? Part of what made MacKinnon so highly regarded was the fact that he was a complete player in Junior and was a defensively reliable player who took care of his own zone. He's a demon on the backcheck.

And so, I ask, would you have liked MacKinnon more if the Mooseheads had used him in a shutdown center role instead of putting him up front and relying on him offensively? I just don't get it.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Uhhh, what? Part of what made MacKinnon so highly regarded was the fact that he was a complete player in Junior and was a defensively reliable player who took care of his own zone. He's a demon on the backcheck.

And so, I ask, would you have liked MacKinnon more if the Mooseheads had used him in a shutdown center role instead of putting him up front and relying on him offensively? I just don't get it.

His defensive strength was his offensive strength, his speed. Everytime I watched him it wasn't that he was the first one back or using positioning to win the battles, it was that he was the quickest player to catch up to the play and backcheck effectively. He's not even Duchene-effective defensively imho.

And yeah, as a player I'd have been more interested if he were a speedy shutdown center.

 

[not a troll]

MacKinnon was a very dependable two way center in the Q I don't see any reason that that won't carry over into his NHL game. Every scouting report I have read on him doesn't mention any defensive deficiencies.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

And yeah, as a player I'd have been more interested if he were a speedy shutdown center.

Those kinds of players aren't usually drafted first overall =\

And really, how much of that stuff you mentioned is dependent on coaching? With proper coaching, he can use that blazing speed effectively in the D-zone. Or is he just supposed to know that kind of stuff on his own? The fact that he is willing to try and play defense with his speed at the age of 17 should be encouraging to you. My point is, he cares about playing defense, some players don't savor it much, that should be enough for you, along with the fact that we invested heavily in him, like Landy and Duchene

 

[InjuredChoker]

''He knows where his own zone is'' former Jackets head amateur scout on MacKinnon.

 

[tigervixxxen]

MacKinnon has a lot more defensive game than just his speed.

 

[Bonzai12]

''He knows where his own zone is'' former Jackets head amateur scout on MacKinnon.

lmao @ the vagueness of that quote. No wonder the Jackets suck.


Some other proposed quotes from this guy....

"He is able to put the stick on the puck"...

"He can see through the goalie mask pretty well".....

"He can tell the difference between his own guys and the other team"....

"He plays between the boards well"

"He's a goaltender that catches a lot of pucks with his glove"

 

[avsfan09]

His defensive strength was his offensive strength, his speed. Everytime I watched him it wasn't that he was the first one back or using positioning to win the battles, it was that he was the quickest player to catch up to the play and backcheck effectively. He's not even Duchene-effective defensively imho.

And yeah, as a player I'd have been more interested if he were a speedy shutdown center.

Are you trying to insinuate that that's his only strength?

Also you mentioned that you were doubtful of his true potential and didn't see him fulfilling it anytime soon. What do you see him becoming than? What do you consider his "true potential"?

It just seems that you have a misconception about him as a player. Either way he will win over his doubters soon enough. It might not happen this season though as he's really young.

 

[Ceremony]

lmao @ the vagueness of that quote. No wonder the Jackets suck.


Some other proposed quotes from this guy....

"He is able to put the stick on the puck"...

"He can see through the goalie mask pretty well".....

"He can tell the difference between his own guys and the other team"....

"He plays between the boards well"

"He's a goaltender that catches a lot of pucks with his glove"

I don't really think anyone on this board can be laughing at how bad another team is.

 

[agentblack]

lmao @ the vagueness of that quote. No wonder the Jackets suck.


Some other proposed quotes from this guy....

"He is able to put the stick on the puck"...

"He can see through the goalie mask pretty well".....

"He can tell the difference between his own guys and the other team"....

"He plays between the boards well"

"He's a goaltender that catches a lot of pucks with his glove"

No they dont.

 

[Grant McCagg]

MacKinnon is a well-above average prospect when it comes to his defence. In fact - I did a "Best of" list for the Hockey News last spring where I polled some fellow scouts in addition to offering my own perspective, and we all had MacKinnon as one of the top three defensive players in the draft. His non-stop engine, speed, tenacity and smarts put him at the top of the heap.

Forechecking is an important part of a forward's defensive responsibilities, and I'm not sure I've seen a better forechecking prospects in the seven years I've been scouting professionally.

 

[not a troll]

MacKinnon is a well-above average prospect when it comes to his defence. In fact - I did a "Best of" list for the Hockey News last spring where I polled some fellow scouts in addition to offering my own perspective, and we all had MacKinnon as one of the top three defensive players in the draft. His non-stop engine, speed, tenacity and smarts put him at the top of the heap.

Forechecking is an important part of a forward's defensive responsibilities, and I'm not sure I've seen a better forechecking prospects in the seven years I've been scouting professionally.

I've talked to scouts about Mac as well and the only downside they have mentioned to me is sometimes his feet moves too fast for his hands. Defense has not been a problem for Mac thus far.

 

[agentblack]

I've talked to scouts about Mac as well and the only downside they have mentioned to me is sometimes his feet moves too fast for his hands. Defense has not been a problem for Mac thus far.

Sounds like he could use some beta blockage

 

[Freudian]

MacKinnon is a well-above average prospect when it comes to his defence. In fact - I did a "Best of" list for the Hockey News last spring where I polled some fellow scouts in addition to offering my own perspective, and we all had MacKinnon as one of the top three defensive players in the draft. His non-stop engine, speed, tenacity and smarts put him at the top of the heap.

Forechecking is an important part of a forward's defensive responsibilities, and I'm not sure I've seen a better forechecking prospects in the seven years I've been scouting professionally.

Forecheck shouldn't be an issue on his line, but I do suspect he'll be doing a lot of back checking since neither McGinn or Parenteau are great at it.