Mikko Rantanen
| Birthday: 1996-10-29 | Position: RW |
| Eligible for draft: 2015 | Shoots: Left |
| Drafted: 2015 | Height: 6-4 |
| Acquired: 1st Round (10th Overall), 2015 | Weight: 195 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- C
History
2012-13: Mikko Rantanen played at three levels for the TPS Turku organization. He spent the majority of the season with the U20 squad in the Junior “A” league, scoring 10 goals and adding 14 assists for 24 points in 35 games. He also appeared in 9 playoff games for the U20 squad, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points. Rantanen appeared in 5 games for the U18 club, scoring 2 goals and adding 6 assists for 8 points. Rantanen also received a taste of the Liiga action, playing in 15 games for TPS where he netted 2 goals and added 1 assist for 3 points. Rantanen represented Finland at the 2013 World U17 Hockey Challenge, scoring 2 goals and adding 5 assists for 7 points in 5 games. Rantanen was chosen in the second round, 59th overall, of the 2013 KHL Draft by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.
2013-14: Rantanen spent most of the season competing in Liiga with TPS Turku. In 37 games for that squad, he scored 5 goals and added 4 assists for 9 points. In 17 games for TPS’s U20 team, Rantanen scored 5 goals and added 13 assists for 18 points while posting a +12 rating. Rantanen represented Finland at the 2014 U18 World Championship, scoring 3 goals and chipping 2 assists for 5 points in 5 games. He was named one of the Top 3 players for Finland at that tournament.
2014-15: Rantanen was the second-leading scorer for TPS Turku behind California native Ryan Lasch in his second Liiga season and joined the club’s U20 team for its championship run. He led Finland in points at the 2015 U20 World Junior Championship and played for the Finland U18 team at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. He scored 9 goals with 19 assists in 56 games and was -1 with 22 penalty minutes. Turku finished 13th in the 14-team Liiga, missing the playoffs. Rantanen scored 6 goals with 8 assists and was +9 with 2 penalty minutes in seven playoff games for the TPS U20 team, which defeated HPK Hameenlinna in the finals. He scored 4 goals and was +3 with 2 penalty minutes in 5 games at the WJC on a Finland squad that struggled to score all tournament. Rantanen scored 3 goals and added 4 assists in four games at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament. He rose to the top spot in the Central Scouting final ranking of international skaters — after being ranked second behind Swedish defenseman Oliver Kylington in the midterm rankings — prior to the 2015 NHL Draft.
Talent Analysis
Rantanen is a smooth skating European forward who plays a quiet but efficient style of hockey. He won’t put up too many highlight-reel goals in his career but he will certainly put up points. It would be beneficial if he added more physicality to his game but that is not what he is known for. His playmaking abilities is aided by his smooth hands and his ability to read the plays.
Future
Rantanen made his NHL debut with the Avalanche as an 18-year-old — making the team out of training camp and appearing in six games before being assigned to the AHL's San Antonio Rampage. Rantanen has been the team's leading scorer for much of the 2015-16 season despite spending time with the Finland U20 team that won a gold medal at the World Junior Championship. Rantanen's combination of size, skating ability and offensive instincts suggest he can be a consistent scorer at the NHL level in the future.
