DENVER — When Martin Nečas first carved a path onto the ice as a newly minted member of the Colorado Avalanche, the synergy between him and Nathan MacKinnon appeared almost preordained—an intuitive, near-instant rapport more befitting linemates seasoned by years of collaboration than skaters acquainted for mere days. 

To the casual observer, it might be easy to shrug and say, “They’re professionals—this is just what they do.” Yet the reality is far more nuanced. MacKinnon and Nečas, while different in temperament and style, are parallel talents whose careers have been shaped by remarkably similar growing pains and comparable skill sets. 

Incredibly Gifted Talents 

When MacKinnon first came under the scrutiny of NHL scouts, some dismissed him as too raw; his electrifying but unbridled style seemingly ill-suited for the discipline required to outmaneuver professional defenders. To them, he was merely a wiry adolescent relying too heavily on pure speed. Others noted that he still needed refinement on the defensive side of the game, particularly in making the right pass and reducing turnovers caused by overhandling the puck. 

But the Colorado Avalanche saw something different: not a finished product, but a rare foundation upon which a formidable NHL player could be built. And, to an extent, those scouts were right—MacKinnon wasn’t going to be a superstar immediately—but they certainly underestimated his capacity to adapt and grow. 

The first four years of MacKinnon’s NHL career were difficult. Entering the league at 18, he was still, in many ways, a kid, and with a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve; setbacks hit him hard. To make matters worse, he played on a team that swung between moments of contention and periods of near collapse, exposing him to emotional challenges that few young players are prepared for. Yet MacKinnon faced these challenges the only way he knew how, with speed, determination, and extraordinary talent. Even so, for all his skill, he remained a step or two behind the league’s best. Rather than giving up, he returned to the rink like a world-class fighter in the gym, studying, simplifying, and refining his game. 

But first MacKinnon had to be honest with himself that he had an emotional roadblock that had prevented him from maturing quicker than other players that are thrust into the spotlight. 

“It’s been a tough process,” he said. “I had a good first season, but it’s been tough the past three years,” MacKinnon stated in 2018. “You do a lot of growing. Mentally, it takes time to get a hold of things and be consistent.” 

That was the proverbial flick of a light switch that MacKinnon required. He had always possessed a relentless work ethic, an unwavering desire to do whatever it takes to win, and a disciplined approach to nutrition, which he also encouraged among his teammates. It was this shift in mindset that ultimately propelled him to the upper echelons of the hockey world. Remarkably, he achieved all of this while remaining as humble and soft-spoken as ever. 

Furthermore, another key component of MacKinnon’s development was learning to be more self-assertive with the puck, embracing the importance of shooting and creating scoring opportunities for himself. He progressed from recording 16 goals during the 2016-17 season in a full 82-game schedule to netting 39 the following year in fewer contests. Moreover, his point total soared from 58 to 97. 

A Strikingly Similar Journey

Prior to being selected 12th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Martin Nečas drew widespread praise from scouts for his elite skating, agility, puck-handling, and shooting prowess. Yet concerns were noted regarding his tendency to overcomplicate the game. Rather than simplifying his approach, Nečas often held onto the puck too long, leading to turnovers. Similar to MacKinnon, he grappled with the mental demands of professional hockey. During the 2021–22 campaign, Nečas registered just 40 points in 78 games and contributed a mere five assists across 14 playoff contests, culminating in what was widely regarded as a disappointing season. He acknowledged that he was “in his own head” too much, prompting him to enlist a mental skills coach—a decision he credits as pivotal in his resurgence. The following season, Nečas responded with a career-best campaign, posting 28 goals and 43 assists for 71 points. 

"I tried in the summer to work with my mental coach a lot to be more just... You know hockey isn't just about having good skill, being a good skater," Nečas stated on the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. "At least half of the game is in your head I feel like. If you're mentally prepared, I feel like that makes a big difference and that's one of the things I tried to change before last season and I feel like it's one of the reasons why I had a good season because I was mentally ready for every game." 

Throughout this period, Nečas meticulously studied game footage, analyzing the league’s top performers to identify the players whose style and approach he could emulate. The individual who resonated most profoundly with him, and whom he regarded as the ideal model for his own development, was Nathan MacKinnon. 

“You know, it’s no secret (that I’ve looked up to him.),” Nečas told The Hockey News. “When I was in Carolina, I looked up to the best players in the league — he’s one of them — so I was trying to modify my game to play a little bit like him and at a high pace. Now we’re playing together, so it’s fun.” 

Much like MacKinnon, Nečas has long embodied a team-first mentality. While he is now shooting the puck more frequently and is on pace for a career-best season, the same coach that once urged MacKinnon to adopt a more self-assertive approach with the puck is being applied to Nečas. The distinction lies in their respective baselines: prior to MacKinnon’s breakout campaign, he recorded 58 points, whereas Nečas tallied 83 last season, even if he still has room to increase his shooting volume and easily break the 100-point threshold. 

Yet, as with any seasoned professional, ingrained habits can resurface despite years of disciplined training. Nečas had every right to deposit the puck into the empty net against the Buffalo Sabers on November 13, an opportunity that would have secured his second career hat trick. Instead, in a display of remarkable generosity, he opted at the last moment to pass to his captain, Gabe Landeskog, ensuring him a goal. It was one of the most selfless acts witnessed at the professional level. More recently, in the game against the Montreal Canadiens, Nečas once again went out of his way to set up Brock Nelson for his second goal of the contest, further exemplifying his team-first approach. 

We asked MacKinnon to comment on the aforementioned goal and how it feels to share a line with someone who’s willing to put the team on his back at the expense of his own personal statistics. 

“He’s a super selfless player,” he said of Nečas. “He just makes the right play most of the time. That’s the tough thing in hockey; it’s so fast, (it’s difficult) to make the correct read at this pace. That was obviously a perfect play giving a guy an open net.” 

Bednar Sees Another MacKinnon-Style Breakout in Nečas

MacKinnon had been criticized early in his career for being too much of a passer and not taking enough shooting opportunities. Bednar emphasized a shoot-first mentality when in scoring position, and it's changed his entire career. Now he wants to see the same from Nečas. 

We asked Bednar after the Avalanche’s 7-2 win over the Canadiens on Saturday if he wants Nečas to be more of a playmaker or a shooter given some of the great plays he made during the game. 

“It’s got to be a balance (between playmaking and shooting),” he stated. “If he’s seeing guys open and he can make the play and they can shoot it, great. Marty is such an elusive skater, he can kind of take whatever ice is given to him and he gets into the interior of the ice sometimes with his skating and we’ve got good traffic at the net and sometimes I don’t think you need to look for much more than put it there.  

“I think he can score from distance; he’s got a great shot, he can place it where he wants it, and if you have any type of screen or traffic, sometimes the best play is to deliver it to the net. I think it has to be a balance for him. 

“I want him to continue to be creative; I want him to continue to use his skill and his instincts, but I want to kind of change him a little bit so when he does use all that, he gets into the interior of the ice and into areas where I think he can score, then I want him to shoot it.” 

And it becomes evident time and again during optional skates and full-team practices: Nečas can unleash blistering shots from distance with remarkable precision. One can only imagine the heights he might reach were he to embrace a touch more selfishness to his game to channel a measure of that same decisiveness that has defined MacKinnon’s game for nearly a decade. 

The more MacKinnon, Nečas, and, of course, Artturi Lehkonen collaborate on the ice, the more formidable they are poised to become as a unit. It is a remarkable prospect, given the force they have already demonstrated this season.

Their synergy emerged almost instantly, a reflection of their underlying similarities: comparable skill sets, parallel developmental challenges, a shared team-first mentality, a mutual need to cultivate greater assertiveness in shooting the puck, and, not least, the remarkable humility that defines each of them.

Where they differ is in Nečas, who has yet to fully embrace the role of decisive finisher. He possesses every tool required to do so. What remains is summoning the confidence to pull the trigger with greater consistency.

And it is only a matter of time before he does.

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