On a team ranked second in the NHL in scoring, the Colorado Avalanche's most productive player isn't speedy Alex Tanguay, soft-handed Milan Hejduk or even Joe Sakic.

It's 23-year-old Marek Svatos, who is quietly proving to be one of the league's top rookies while helping the Avs steadily climb the standings.

Svatos has 29 goals this season, seven more than Tanguay and 10 more than Sakic. His 44 points put him third on a team that has closed in on the Northwest Division lead. Colorado trails division leader Calgary by three points.

During a recent eight-game winning streak, Svatos had his second hat trick of the season against St. Louis.

"He's a threat every night. He's got jump, he's got energy," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think that's a great compliment for a young kid: knowing that each and every night (the team is) getting something from him."

The Avalanche had high expectations for Svatos after his short stint with the team during the 2003-04 season. He injured his shoulder in the second game of the season. But when he returned, he scored three goals in two regular season and 11 playoff games, including the winning goal in Game 4 of the first round against Dallas.

Svatos didn't waste any time this season: He scored his first NHL hat trick in Colorado's home opener Oct. 10 against the Calgary Flames.

Svatos, a native of Slovakia, said that game was his most important this season.

"That was a good start of the season, so I think that helped me," Svatos said. "I got a little bit of confidence."

Svatos' teammates call him a "pure" and "natural" scorer, someone unafraid of crashing the net or setting himself up on the crease and risking the abuse to angle for the best position.

"When he gets the puck in those areas, he usually scores," forward Dan Hinote said.

Svatos said it's not his style to wait for something to happen on the ice.

"I'm always trying to be in the middle of plays," he said. "I want the puck."

Not only is Svatos getting the puck where he wants it, he tends to score when the Avalanche need him to. He leads the NHL with eight game-winning goals this season, including four in the third period.