Mikko Rantanen (born 29 October 1996) is a Finnish professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
and
alternate captain
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...
for the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He was selected in the first round, 10th overall, by the Avalanche in the
2015 NHL Entry Draft. Rantanen won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
with the Avalanche in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
.
Playing career
Early career
Rantanen made his professional Finnish
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...
debut as a 16-year-old playing with
HC TPS
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 10-time champion of SM-liiga and 1-time champion of SM-sarja. They play in Turku, Finland, at Gatorade Center. In terms of championships, TPS is the second all-time most successful team in SM-L ...
during the
2012–13 season. Rantanen had played with TPS from a youth of 14-years old at the under-16 level. In 15 games he recorded three points (two goals and one assist).
Entering the
2014–15 season as the only 17-year-old to play in his third year with TPS, Rantanen signed a two-year extension to remain with the Liiga outfit on 9 October 2014. Through using his big frame and physical play, Rantanen recorded a career-high 9 goals and 28 points in 56 games, also serving as an alternate captain. He also featured for TPS junior club in the post-season recording 14 points in 7 contests to help capture the championship and was given Best Player honours for his efforts.
In his
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) draft eligible year, Rantanen was rated as the top European skater at season's end. He was taken tenth overall by the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
at the
2015 NHL Entry Draft on 26 June 2015.
Colorado Avalanche
On 13 July 2015, Rantanen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche. After attending his first Avalanche training camp, and impressing in the pre-season, Rantanen was announced to have made the opening night roster for the
2015–16 season as an 18-year old on 6 October 2015. On 8 October 2015, he made his NHL debut to open the season with the Avalanche in a 5–4 defeat to the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
. He was used in a depth role and played limited minutes over six scoreless games with Colorado before being sent to the team's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
San Antonio Rampage
The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...
, on 22 October 2015.
In his AHL debut, Rantanen contributed with his first goal and assist in North America during a 5–1 victory over the
Stockton Heat on 24 October 2015. He continued his scoring pace with the Rampage, leading the club in all offensive categories before he was selected to the
AHL All-Star Game as the second-youngest participant in the event's modern history. After receiving a three-game recall to the Avalanche, Rantanen was returned to complete the season with San Antonio, becoming just the seventh teenager to reach the 60-point mark, doing so in just 52 games.
In finishing sixth in overall scoring, he earned a selection to the Second All-Star Team and shared the
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award alongside
Frank Vatrano
Frank Vatrano (born March 14, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers.
Playing career ...
as the AHL's rookie of the year.
On 11 November 2016, Rantanen scored his first NHL goal 1:03 into the second period in a game against the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
. The Avalanche would go on to win 3–2 in overtime. He recorded his first NHL
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
on 8 February 2017 in a 4–0 win over the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
.
Rantanen had a breakout year during the
2017–18 season, scoring 29 goals and 55 assists for 84 points in 81 games; only linemate
Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan Raymond MacKinnon (born September 1, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Avalanche in the 201 ...
had more points for Colorado. The team qualified for the
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs as the second
wild card team in the
Western Conference. Rantanen had four assists as the team was eliminated by the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
in six games.
The
following season saw Rantanen continue to play at an impressive pace, highlighted by his play during the first few months of the season. By December 2018, Rantanen had earned 50 points and was on pace to score the most points by any player since the
2004–05 lockout. Although his scoring would drop off, Rantanen finished the season with 87 points in 74 games played; a career high. He also led the team in scoring during the team's two-round playoff run.
On 28 September 2019, Rantanen signed a six-year, $55.5 million contract extension with the Avalanche.
On 26 June 2022, the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup by defeating the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
in six games, giving Rantanen his first Stanley Cup championship.
International play
Rantanen was introduced and developed as a youth in the
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
national junior under-16 program. He was first selected at an international tournament at the
2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, scoring seven points in five contests. He went on to lead the team at the under-18 level with seven points in four games at the
2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament before competing in his first full IIHF competition at the
2014 IIHF World U18 Championships.
Rantanen continued his progression within the Finnish junior team in earning selection to the
2015 World Junior Championships in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. Despite a disappointing seventh-place finish, Rantanen contributed with four goals in five games to earn a top-three player on team selection.
During his first North American professional season and while eligible for his final junior tournament, Rantanen was loaned by the Colorado Avalanche to Captain the Finnish junior team as they hosted the
2016 World Junior Championships. While adding a stabilising veteran presence, Rantanen played a supporting role throughout the round-robin stage before stepping up his production in the Semi-final against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and scoring in the Final against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
to help Finland claim the gold medal and cap his junior career.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rantanen, Mikko
1996 births
Living people
People from Nousiainen
Colorado Avalanche draft picks
Colorado Avalanche players
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Finnish ice hockey right wingers
HC TPS players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
San Antonio Rampage players
Sportspeople from Southwest Finland
Stanley Cup champions