NEW YORK -- Nathan MacKinnon knows a little something about how to excel as a rookie in the NHL.
He did it in 2013-14 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, leading all first-year players in points (63) and tying for first in goals (24) en route to winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.
MacKinnon is pretty confident that Jonathan Drouin, his former linemate with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, is ready to take a similar path with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014-15.
Drouin was voted the No. 1 NHL prospect on NHL.com's Top 60 prospect ranking, released Tuesday.
"I don't see a lot of junior-hockey highlights now but I'm on Twitter and noticed he was tearing it up," MacKinnon said of Drouin. "He had some sick games and I watched the highlights online. I still try and follow the Mooseheads whenever I can."