Avs captain Landeskog reaches 500-game milestone, and he’s still just 25 years old.

Avalanche left wing Gabe Landeskog played in his 500th career NHL game Monday in a 4-1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Colorado’s captain wasn’t much into the milestone at the time, but was more than willing to discuss it after a morning skate at the Pepsi Center before a game late Wednesday against Philadelphia.

Landeskog, 25 — who went directly from major-junior to the NHL and has never played in the minor leagues — is among those rare young talents to reach 500 games at hockey’s highest level before his 26th birthday.

“I knew at the start of the season that if I could stay healthy and play hard I was going to have a chance to get to 500,” Landeskog said. “But during the season, it flew by and all of a sudden it was right around the corner. Once it gets close, you don’t want to talk about it and jinx things.”

Landeskog reached 500 games in his seventh year. Former Avs forward Matt Duchene, who also began his career at age 18, reached 500 in his eighth season.

“I was fortunate to come in and play early and earn a spot, and make an impact right off the get-go,” Landeskog said. “At the start, really, you’re just trying to figure out how to play in this league — the first 300 games really. I still feel like I have a lot to learn and get better at. That’s the beauty of it. It’s a physical game and we all get our bumps and bruises. But I’ve been able to stay healthy.”

Landeskog became the NHL’s youngest permanent captain at the time on Sept. 4, 2012, when he replaced Milan Hejduk with the “C.” Landeskog was in his second NHL season at age 19 years, 286 days — 11 days younger than Sidney Crosby was when he was named captain by the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 31, 2007.

On Oct. 6, 2016, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid replaced Landeskog as the youngest player to be named captain. McDavid was 19 years and 266 days old.

A year ago at this time, Avalanche fans were calling for a new Colorado captain, as Landeskog and the Avs were completing their worst season (22 wins, 48 points) in club history.

“If you were a part of that, whether you were a leader or not, you took it to heart,” Landeskog said of those dark days. “You lose a lot of sleep over that. You’re thinking about what you do, what you can do better. When things are going as bad as they did last year, you start taking it personal. You start doubting yourself. But I was able to reset, like the whole group. We were able to reset and come back to training camp with a new mind-set and it’s been fun.”