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MacKinnon Named A Finalist For Calder Trophy

DENVER (CBS4/AP) - The Colorado Avalanche's sensational rookie Nathan MacKinnon was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy on Wednesday.

MacKinnon led all rookies during the regular season in scoring with 63 points. He also broke Wayne Gretzky's record for longest single-season point streak by a player age 18 or younger.

MacKinnon was the No. 1 pick of the draft, and he showed the kind of skills team executive Joe Sakic and Coach Patrick Roy saw in the center when they were considering him for their pick.

Those skills are on full display in the Avalanche's playoffs run so far.

The Professional Hockey Writers Association casts the votes in the annual trophy presentation. The award winner will be announced June 24 at the NHL awards banquet in Las Vegas.

"It's pretty cool. It's always good going back to Vegas," MacKinnon said after Avalanche practice in Minnesota on Wednesday. "It's going to be fun. I watched it on TV growing up and things like that, but it's going to be fun to be with some of the guys I know."

Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat are also finalists.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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