Rantanen looks to raise bar for Avalanche next season

HERNING, Denmark -- Mikko Rantanen knows he and the Colorado Avalanche took significant steps this season. But the 21-year-old forward said he has room for improvement in all aspects of his game.
"I was healthy the whole year and I was lucky to play with really good players," said Rantanen, who extended his season with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in eight games with Finland at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. "We found really good chemistry with our lines. It was working well. It was a really fun year. I have to thank my linemates. But probably the biggest thing was to be healthy.

"My all-around game, I can still be better. The points were there. I think my all-around game, I can improve in that.
"It was a good year. It gives us a lot of confidence for next year."
Rantanen had the best of his three NHL seasons, with 84 points (29 goals, 55 assists) in 81 games, and was second on Colorado to linemate Nathan MacKinnon, who had 97 points (39 goals, 58 assists) in 74 games. Rantanen more than doubled his points from 2016-17, when he had 38 points (20 goals, 18 assists) in 75 games.
Not coincidentally, the Avalanche had their best finish in four seasons. They were 43-30-9 and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013-14, as the second wild card from the Western Conference. Colorado lost to the Presidents' Trophy-winning Nashville Predators in six games in the first round.
Video: COL@SJS: Rantanen fires home top-shelf PPG
The Avalanche nearly doubled their wins and points from 2016-17, when they were 22-56-4 and finished 30th and last in the NHL.
Rantanen said the Avalanche are confident next season will be even better.
"It was a good year for us," he said. "I think nobody really expected us to be in the playoffs, first of all. We knew we had the potential to be there. Everything just went our way. It was a good year. It gives us a lot of confidence for next year. We still have a really young group. It's good."
Rantanen's play was a boon to MacKinnon, a finalist for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most valuable player, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award, for most outstanding player voted by the NHL Players' Association.
"This year was unbelievable," said Avalanche forward Tyson Jost, who's playing for Canada at the World Championship. "This year [Rantanen] exploded. He's an unbelievable guy, too, off the ice. That's what guys will say about Mikko. We're really good friends off the ice. We're always hanging out. He's a fun guy to be around and a pretty darned good player too.

"Our whole top line this year (with forward Gabriel Landeskog) was unbelievable. Rantanen was a huge part of that. Their line took over games. When [MacKinnon and Rantanen] were going, our whole team was going. We were always feeding off them. Watching those guys play was pretty spectacular. You can learn a lot from them. Mikko and Nate, when they slap the puck around, it's something pretty special to watch."
Colorado forward Sven Andrighetto, who's playing for Switzerland, said of Rantanen, "He's absolutely amazing. We all knew before what he could do. He busted out this season, big-time. He's a really good friend of mine. We hung out a lot this year. He deserves all of it. There's a lot more to come. He's still really young."