Antti Raanta

History

2008-09: Raanta led all goalies in A Juniors with over 2400 minutes played in the regular season but did not seem to wear down – leading Lukko Rauma to a strong run in the playoffs before the team fell to eventual champ Espoo Blues. He also appeared in two games for the Team Finland Junior squad during their Mestis tour but was left off the final roster in favor of  Lethbridge’s Juha Metsola and SM-Liiga rookie Harri Sateri, a San Jose Sharks prospect. Following the season he signed a three-year SM-Liiga contract with Lukko Rauma.  

Talent Analysis

Overshadowed a bit by other ‘89s such as Harri Sateri and Juha Metsola, no goalie in Finland has been more of a workhorse at the A junior level than Lukko’s Raanta. The durable, solidly-built goalie has been in net for nearly every game for Rauma the past two years. While not as flashy as some of the smaller goalies nor highly skilled, Raanta uses his size to advantage and is very consistent with his positioning. Like other Finnish goalies, he will have to adapt to the speed and accuracy of North American shooters. Foot speed might also be an issue but the competitiveness is definitely there.