College hockey isn’t for everyone, and it certainly isn’t for Nathan MacKinnon and his son, if he has one in the future. MacKinnon, the Avalanche’s explosive 21-year-old center, said last week’s collegelike schedule is a reminder why he supports the Canadian Hockey League’s major junior system over the NCAA’s college game.

“My kid’s going to junior — 100 percent,” MacKinnon said after Monday’s practice at the Family Sports Center.

The Avs had five days between games Oct. 22 at Florida and Friday against Winnipeg, then played at Arizona on Saturday for a consecutive-night stretch. That’s a typical college schedule — a week of practices and two games on the weekends.

“We’re here to play games. I like getting into a rhythm; I feel like I play better when I play more,” MacKinnon said. “In Phoenix — and I think the whole team could speak on it — we felt a lot better in our second game than our first after five days off.”

Beginning on Tuesday against visiting Nashville, the Avs will play at least three games per week through Jan. 6. The busiest stretch is Nov. 11-23, when they will have a game every other night.

Like MacKinnon, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar didn’t enjoy last week’s “college” schedule.

“I wouldn’t think that many players like it. They want to play games,” Bednar said Monday. “That’s the most fun thing to do in this profession — is compete. That’s what we like as coaches. That’s what we like as players. They may think the coaches like practices — and we certainly like to get some practice time in — but everyone in the room is excited to get competing on game night. That’s what it’s all about.”

MacKinnon, who played major junior and won the Memorial Cup for the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013, said he develops his skills more from a game than from a practice. Major junior typically offers a 68-game-regular season, while most college teams play half that amount before the postseason.

“That’s the reason I didn’t want to go there. You play 30-(some) games,” MacKinnon said of the NCAA. “Junior is double that, plus playoffs, plus Memorial Cup (if applicable), plus World Juniors (if applicable). That’s like 100 games. Way different.”

The University of Denver played 41 games (seven postseason) en route to the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals last spring. National champion North Dakota played 44 games.

NCAA hockey offers an education in a college environment and significantly more off-ice training than major junior. College players also have more time to develop, with an age span of 17 to 25; whereas major junior is 16 to 20. The NCAA doesn’t allow major junior transfers, so a major junior player could see his professional hockey dream end at age 20.

But as MacKinnon noted, the CHL offers its players future university scholarships, however limited.

“I don’t like the attitude ‘what if it doesn’t work out?’ I don’t like that mentality,” MacKinnon said. “My best buddy in Halifax was a fourth-liner and has an unreal school package. He’s making money. He’s going to school in Halifax, in business (school) and playing hockey on the side.”

MacKinnon was drafted by the Omaha Lancers of the United States Junior League, the top junior-A feeder league to college hockey, and he was attending an Omaha camp in 2011 when he was selected No. 1 overall in the Quebec Major Junior League by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. MacKinnon wanted to play for hometown Halifax and used the Omaha/college hockey route as leverage for his trade to the Mooseheads on July 13, 2011.

NASHVILLE AT COLORADO, 7 p.m. Tuesday, ALT, 950 AM

Spotlight on P.K. Subban

Tuesday will be the first Avalanche meeting against Nashville with Subban involved. The star defenseman has five points (two goals) in eight games with his new team, but those numbers seem small compared to the hot start for Montreal’s prized defenseman Shea Weber, who has four goals and 10 points in nine games for the Canadiens (8-0-1). Subban, 27, was swapped for the 31-year-old Weber in the summer’s straight-up blockbuster deal, and so far the Habs are on the better end. Forward Mike Fisher replaced Weber as Nashville’s captain.

NOTEBOOK

Predators: They arrived in Denver early Sunday morning after losing 4-1 at San Jose on Saturday night. Nashville is 0-1-2 on this five-game trip that ends Thursday at Arizona. … The Predators are 0-4-1 on the road. … Viktor Arvidsson leads Nasvhille with four goals and six points. The 5-foot-9 forward entered the season with only eight career goals. … The Preds lead the NHL in power play percentage (35.7) but are 29th in the 30-team league in penalty killing (66.7). … Nashville is allowing 32.9 shots, fourth highest in the league.

Avalanche: Forward Gabriel Bourque on Monday was reassigned to San Antonio of the American Hockey League. Bourque, who made the Avs’ opening-night roster from a professional tryout contract, played in the first five games of the season, but was a healthy scratch the past two. He is pointless with just three shots and was averaging 10:46 of ice time a game. Avs coach Jared Bednar said Bourque, 26, needs to play, and that Colorado will carry only 22 players, including 13 forwards, in the foreseable future. The limit is 23. … Forward Jarome Iginla, 39, took a day off Monday and was replaced in line drills by Cody McLeod, who skated with center Matt Duchene and left wing Gabe Landeskog. … Defenseman Fedor Tyutin returned from a groin injury and might play Tuesday. Tyutin has missed the past three games after playing in the first four. … Semyon Varlamov is scheduled to start in goal. … Center Carl Soderberg, who is in his second year with the Avs, has played in 176 consecutive NHL games, a career high, dating to his time with the Boston Bruins. Iginla ranks second among Avs in the ironman department, at 171 consecutive games.