Nathan MacKinnon named the NHL’s best player in December

Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon was named the NHL’s First Star of the Month for December.

The league released the news on Jan. 1 after MacKinnon tore it up on the ice going into the holiday season. Overall, the reigning Hart Trophy winner collected 25 points, tallying seven goals and 18 assists. The Avs went 10-3-0 in December, earning 20 points, tied for the most in the NHL with the Vegas Golden Knights.

This marked the fifth times in MacKinnon’s career he’s totaled at least 25 points in a month, with the last occurrence happening in March of 2024, when he racked up 27 total points with  11 goals and 16 assists.

Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl and Jacob Markstrom have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of December presented by GEICO.#NHLStats: https://t.co/AsX6dZZWOd pic.twitter.com/b5ukVKplbh

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 1, 2025

As you can see in the graphic above, MacKinnon was joined by Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom as the other two stars.

It’s the ninth time in his outstanding career MacKinnon has been named one of the NHL’s top players of the month, including the fifth time he’s been the league’s First Star. He’s simply playing outstanding and continuing what will eventually result in an induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In December MacKinnon found the score sheet in 11 of his 13 appearances, ending the month on a five-game assist / point streak and recording seven multi-point performances. That was highlighted by his ninth career five-point outing, including his 600th NHL assist, on Dec. 10 against the Penguins.

The Avalanche are now 23-15-0 on the season, good for 46 points. They beat the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Eve, closing the gap in the Central Division to just nine points. And with Nathan MacKinnon rolling and the goaltender situation seemingly figured out, anything feels possible for Colorado this year.

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