Colorado Avalanche: Mikko Rantanen to Receive Deeper Look at Camp

The Colorado Avalanche will be sending six players to the World Cup of Hockey this year, which will give players trying to make an impact on this year’s roster — like Mikko Rantanen — more of a chance to make a splash during this year’s training camp and preseason.

The Colorado Avalanche are going to have a stranger-than-most preseason and training camp as new head coach Jared Bednar attempts to make his presence felt while losing some of his best players to the World Cup of Hockey.

Fortunately, the departure of this top tier talent — particularly at center — will allow the coaching staff a chance to analyze some of the depth talent, and up-and-coming talent with more focus.

Indeed, Jared Bednar made it very clear that even though the World Cup is not the most “ideal” situation, he is still positive for what the departure of his best players will mean for other players on the roster, according to the Denver Post.

"[The World Cup of Hockey] also gives opportunity to the rest of the guys, to be put in situations where they’re not normally in and we can look at them in different areas."

One of the players that figures to be the focus of an in-depth analysis is forward Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen can play all the forward positions, but his usefulness on the Colorado Avalanche roster figures to be on the wing, and particularly the right wing.

However, Bednar mentions that the players not going to the World Cup of Hockey will be put in “situations they’re not normally in” which allows the coaching staff to look at those players “in different areas.”

As such, Rantanen will most likely be a player that transitions to center while Carl Soderberg (Sweden), Matt Duchene (Canada), and Nathan MacKinnon (North America) play out their time in the World Cup, according to the Denver Post.

"To combat being without centers MacKinnon, Duchene and Soderberg at the start of camp, Bednar said he will probably use Joe Colborne and Mikko Rantanen in the middle instead of the wing."

The center position is not an entirely uncomfortable position for Mikko Rantanen, as he played fourth line center for the Colorado Avalanche in his brief cameo last season and posted a faceoff percentage of 54.2 percent by winning 13 out of the 24 face-offs he took.

So, playing center doesn’t seem to be entirely out of the realm of possibility for Rantanen, and he’ll at least get a shot to play a position that might be a bit out of his wheelhouse.

Nonetheless, Rantanen figures to be of more use in the top six on the wing, particularly because his AHL production figures to translate to NHL top six production, and because the Avalanche have plenty of depth at center already.

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No matter if he is playing center or wing during training camp, Rantanen will be playing a ton of minutes because MacKinnon, Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, and Soderberg are all at the World Cup, and they’re all top six players for the Avalanche (Soderberg produces at a top six rate, but plays on the third line).

Rantanen receiving a ton of minutes is what is going to be the most beneficial development with the World Cup of Hockey.

He’ll be put in situations that test his maturity, he’ll be relied upon to produce, and he’ll easily be one of the most talented players in the top six for the Avalanche during camp and the preseason, so other players should be relying upon him for production.

The hope is that this increased role will help Rantanen realize the sort of effort necessary to playing a top six role on a team as gifted offensively as the Colorado Avalanche.

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The only downside of not having a good amount of the usual top six at camp this season is that Rantanen will miss out on opportunities to develop chemistry with those players, which might make his transition to the top six more difficult during the season, or at the start of the season.

Nonetheless, Colorado Avalanche fans should be excited about the level of play and responsibility that Rantanen will be inheriting, as well as the amount of attention he’s likely to receive from the coaches during training camp and preseason.

Hopefully Rantanen will be able to contribute in ways like this next season:

I highly recommend watching the whole video even with the shoddy quality in some spots. The kid can skate, he’s got swift and skillful hands, and he is a damn good playmaker.

The only thing he needs to do with more regularity is use his body more physically.

At this point, there is only one thing left to determine: how beneficial is an increased role and responsibility going to be for Rantanen going into next season, a season where he is expected to make an impact in the top six?

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