Colorado Avalanche Forward Mikko Rantanen is the Real Deal

The Colorado Avalanche fans have one thing to look forward to over the remainder of this season, and that is the continual development of Mikko Rantanen.

I didn’t throw my hat Tuesday night when Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick. I wanted to, trust me, but I didn’t have a marker so that I could inscribe my name on the inside of my hat.

And folks, if you’re thinking right now — so what? — think again. My hat is 20 years old, from the first Stanley Cup victory the Avs had in 1996, and that kind of hat does not risk the fly.

Nonetheless, I was screaming, and I was doing my best to facilitate the hat throwing, by making hat throwing motions.

On a side note, I also made an appearance on Pepsi Vision, with the quintessential representation of stage fright I am liable to experience when welcomed by too many faces.

That was shortly after Mikko Rantanen’s tipped second goal because Nicole (said interviewer) and I celebrated the goal from that location.

The point of all this nonsense is that very few players ever score hat tricks at the NHL level, and even fewer players are able to do that at the age of 20. Rantanen is also the second youngest player in Avs’ history to record a hat trick as well. Nathan MacKinnon is the only player to beat him in that feat.

So basically, congrats to our future star, and folks, it’s time to get excited about the type of player Rants is developing into.

What Can We Expect From Mikko Rantanen?

At this point, if Rantanen had played all 82 games this season, he would be on pace for 44 points in his rookie season. As it stands, Rants is on pace for 42 points, and he is having a good year regardless.

Furthermore, Rantanen now has six points in his last five games, with five goals during that span. Hopefully he continues to heat up, and breaks 50 points this year.

And, who knows, it’s not out of the question to see him breaking 60, but that would take a serious catch fire.

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Anyway, Rantanen is now also third on the team in overall scoring, and third on the team in goal scoring. Those are pretty good numbers for a 20 year old rookie. So, where do those numbers lead for Mikko Rantanen you may ask?

Well folks, I don’t believe that it’s entirely out of the question to expect Rantanen to develop into a point per game producer. The Colorado Avalanche gave him time to develop, and he experienced over a point per game production in the AHL as a 19 year old, on a bad team.

In a couple of years, he could easily be the type of sniper forward the Avs have been missing, and the best point producer on the team along with Nathan MacKinnon.

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Another exciting thing about the way Rants is developing is the fact that he and MacK seem to be creating some serious chemistry.

Both of them can skate with speed, and both are big bodies behind the net. Also, MacK and Rants consistently make good passes to one another during games — just keep a lookout next game they play.

The future is bright for Mikko Rantanen, and the game on Tuesday night is just the tip of the iceberg.

Conclusion

It’s been a rough season for Avs’ fans, but watching Mikko Rantanen develop this season has been an absolute pleasure. Since starting his career in the NHL on a 13 game pointless streak, Rants has put up 24 points in 41 games.

That may not see that impressive, but he didn’t get his first goal until 17 games into his career, and has since put up 10 goals in 36 games.

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That may also seem unimpressive, but if you extrapolate that over an 82 game season, that puts Rants at 23 goals in a rookie season, at the age of 20. And, that is impressive — if he continues at the pace he is currently at, then expect Rants to continually top the 30 goal mark throughout his career.

Tuesday night’s hat trick was just the beginning for Rantanen, and it’s time for Colorado Avalanche fans to buckle in for next year and the performance he is likely to give.