Mikko Rantanen is just what the Colorado Avalanche needed

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When Mikko Rantanen was called up from the San Antonio Rampage on October 24, it was the beginning of his full-time NHL career. After a staggered nine-game stint with the Avalanche last year, Rantanen was expected to open the season as a member of the Avalanche and be given big minutes right away. An ankle injury at the end of Colorado’s first Rookie Showcase game against San Jose changed those plans and resulted in a brief minor league stint.

Since getting back into the lineup three games ago, Rantanen has changed the dynamic of the Avalanche forward corps and his role as the right wing on a line with Mikhail Grigorenko and Nathan MacKinnon has helped spark Colorado’s most dominant line in that time in terms of driving play. The just-turned-20-year old Rantanen is still finding his legs in the NHL but the strong start has him feeling good.

“I feel better and better every game,” a confident Rantanen stated. “As a line, we’re creating a lot of chances. We just have to bear down a little bit and stay positive. It’s good that we’re creating chances as we play. If we were not creating chances, that would be worse so we know that we are creating chances and we just have to stay positive and I believe it will go in soon.”

The instant chemistry and strong start are evident to anyone who has watched the last three games. In a classic example of numbers backing up the eyes, the trio has put up a 55.74 Corsi For percentage in their 29 even strength minutes together. Those numbers are strong enough to be the second-best line Colorado has put together, trailing only the Gabriel Landeskog-Matt Duchene-Jarome Iginla line (they’re at 55.88 CF%) that formed upon Rantanen’s arrival. Still, it doesn’t feel like success to Rantanen just yet as the team has lost twice and his line has failed to score.

“It’s hard. It’s hard because we’ve lost two games,” Rantanen said.”We just have to keep going and work hard. That’s the only way. We can’t get down and we watched the game we played last night and we have to go forward. It’s not easy when (you’re creating chances but not scoring). It could be worse. If we don’t create chances, the line is not working. We are creating o-zone time and we have chances. We just have to keep going and I know for sure it’s going to go in if we keep playing like that. We have to keep going and work hard.”

Working hard and creating chances was a common theme throughout my time with Rantanen and it underscores the traits the Avalanche loved so much when they made him the tenth overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft. He was billed as a relentlessly hard worker who carried a high hockey IQ and he’s lived up to both early on.

He also feels he’s benefitted from an increased role this year versus his nine games last year when he averaged just 8:57 of ice time as former head coach Patrick Roy was reluctant to trust the teenager with quality linemates or important minutes. Compare that to this year where he’s averaging 16:25 of ice time and playing with quality linemates and it’s no surprise he is currently second on the Avalanche in CF% at 56.10.

“Of course (playing with MacKinnon and Grigorenko) has given me confidence,” Rantanen said with a big smile. “They’re both terrific players and it’s good to play there. We are creating chances and we have to find the back of the net now and help the team with the goals and keep our own end clear. I feel good and confident and it’s nice to play big minutes.”

While it’s still a bit early for Christmas decorations, Rantanen couldn’t help but light up when asked about his linemates, especially MacKinnon.

“Everybody knows MacKinnon is a fast guy, one of the fastest in the league, so he’s a pretty good center there,” Rantanen said while laughing. “He’s strong with the puck, too, and a terrific player, good shot, and everything. Grigorenko is a very good player, too.  He sees the ice well and his hockey IQ is very good so it’s good to play with both guys.”

The trio is a skilled and diverse group, as Rantanen explained, but his addition was really the ingredient the forward corps was missing to become the well-rounded, dynamic group they’ve shown in the three games he’s been in Colorado, in which they’ve outshot their opponents 100-83 heading into tonight’s affair against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“When we move the puck in the o-zone and play behind the net and be strong with the puck, I think that’s where it’s my strength and that’s what we have done in a couple games,” Rantanen intimated. “We just have to stay with that and try to get the o-zone time and play behind their defense and be strong with the puck.”

For the Avalanche, they hope all the driving of play in the right direction is just a sign of things to come. When their new top line starts scoring on the myriad chances they’re creating, the rest of the Central Division might have a real problem on their hands.