With the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, the Avalanche have selected 5 ft 11 Canadian center Nathan MacKinnon out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Can’t go wrong with the No. 1 overall pick in this draft, and with MacKinnon over Seth Jones, who was another option with the first pick, MacKinnon was a solid option for the Avalanche.
Playing for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the last two seasons, MacKinnon has totaled 153 pts (63G, 90A) in 102 games with the Mooseheads.
MacKinnon has drawn comparisons to the well-know NHL star Sidney Crosby, and with comparisons like that, MacKinnon could be a huge addition to this Avalanche team already thriving with young talent.
The Avs pick MacKinnon over Seth Jones who, a couple months ago, was expected to be a shoein for the first overall pick. Jones, who grew up with former Denver Nugget Popeye Jones as a father, grew up a huge fan of the Colorado Avalanche but doesn’t get selected to become the first African American hockey player to be drafted first overall.
Anthony Rodriguez
Anthony is the Founder, Administrator, Editor and Publisher of Lightning Rod Sports. Originally from California, Anthony has been raised in the Rocky Mountains and Denver area for most of his life. Anthony works with the Emmy-winning student-run T.V. newscast at MSU Denver, The Met Report, as the Assistant General Manager, formerly the Sports Producer, as well as Lead Anchor and Production Assistant. He is currently the Play-by-Play Announcer, Color Commentator, and Production Assistant for the Metro State Broadcast Network, and calls games for Metro State soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball as a “Voice of the Roadrunners.” In addition to that work with the Metro State Broadcast Network, Anthony also hosts the monthly 30-minute magazine show called "The Roadrunner Review" which airs on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. He hosts the bi-weekly "KMet Sports Show" on KMET Radio at MyMetMedia.com/KMETSportsShow. He is also the Founder, Administrator, Editor, and Columnist for his own Denver Sports website, LightningRodSports.com. Anthony is also part of the Social Media team at Examiner.com, and has worked with the Altitude Radio Network for the Avalanche and Nuggets. Anthony is a former Producer for Mile High Sports Radio, as well as a former Sports-Talk show host on the LightningRod Radio Network.
