RW/C Mikko Rantanen (2015, 10th, COL)

[1972]

Tim Murray mentioned him in that grouping after McEichel. I wouldn't hesitate to take him over Lawson Crouse.

 

[Erikfromfin]

Mentioned it in Arizona forum already, Don Maloney was scouting Rantanen at Jyväskylä about a week ago.
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/nhl/art-1425627916628.html

 

[FinPanda]

http://www.ruutu.fi/ohjelmat/sm-liiga/huippuhetket-tps-hpk-1232015

 

[Paxon]

Tim Murray mentioned him in that grouping after McEichel. I wouldn't hesitate to take him over Lawson Crouse.

I think at this point I'd definitely take him over Crouse.

 

[kelsier]

Tim Murray mentioned him in that grouping after McEichel. I wouldn't hesitate to take him over Lawson Crouse.

He definately should be in that group after the two. He could go pretty much anywhere between the top 3-15. What a way to finish the FEL season though. Had he been given PP time and a better role in the start of the season those numbers would be a lot higher and we'd be talking of close to Barkov level talent. Really really odd Rantanen wasn't playing even on the 2nd PP unit before after the WJC as far as I remember. Also I think people can bury the goal scoring conserns (the kid has a nose for the net and isn't afraid to drive it). Once he bulks up that frame he's going to become a powerful offensive player and I don't think he's even close to being at the peak at this point. I never expected him to be as good as he's become.

 

[LV*]

He definately should be in that group after the two. He could go pretty much anywhere between the top 3-15. What a way to finish the FEL season though. Had he been given PP time and a better role in the start of the season those numbers would be a lot higher and we'd be talking of close to Barkov level talent. Really really odd Rantanen wasn't playing even on the 2nd PP unit before after the WJC as far as I remember. Also I think people can bury the goal scoring conserns (the kid has a nose for the net and isn't afraid to drive it). Once he bulks up that frame he's going to become a powerful offensive player and I don't think he's even close to being at the peak at this point. I never expected him to be as good as he's become.

I think Rantanen will be better than Barkov in the NHL

 

[kelsier]

I think Rantanen will be better than Barkov in the NHL

In a Finnish dream you can see the two playing together in a Panther jersey.

 

[Knies iT]

I think Rantanen will be better than Barkov in the NHL

Based on what? Barkov had some insane hype.

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

I think Rantanen will be better than Barkov in the NHL

Nope. I don't think Rantanen has proven to be as good prospect as Barkov is. Of course he might have a better transition, but Barkov is starting to show elite offensive play on top of his elite defensive game. I won't complain if Rantanen ends up better, though.

 

[Unkki]

2 goals and a primary assist for Rantanen in the last game of the regular season. He ends the year 9+19 = 28 pts in 56 games.

After the WJC, I predicted that he has a chance to hit up to 30 pts, which was considered strange by some writers. I think that Rantanen surprised many people with his spring, but his point producing wasn't a miracle for me, because in autumn, he also played very well and got many scoring chances to himself and his linemates. During the WJC, he gained some confidence and the rest is history. He deserved more time on ice, especially PP-time. It will be interesting to see, where Rantanen plays next year. Both, Europe and NA are possibilities, but it depends pretty much on the team that is going to draft him, so we are wiser after the draft.

 

[BernieParent]

I'm definitely hoping he's the one the Flyers are targetting at 8-9.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I think Rantanen will be better than Barkov in the NHL

No way. Barkov as a prospect was simply sublime. I watched a dozen of his Liiga games during the lockout and he was just special. Not to mention that he was nearly a year younger in his draft season than Rantanen is now. I love Rantanen but there is almost no chance of that.

 

[1972]

Nope. I don't think Rantanen has proven to be as good prospect as Barkov is. Of course he might have a better transition, but Barkov is starting to show elite offensive play on top of his elite defensive game. I won't complain if Rantanen ends up better, though.

That term gets used far too frequently

 

[Alexandrov]

That term gets used far too frequently

So true

 

[Dr Quincy]

Put me in the "draft Mikko before Crowse camp" and in the "Barkov > Mikko" camp.

I really like Mikko but (and I hate when people say this, but I'm going to say it anyway) you have to really watch Barkov a lot to appreciate how good he is going to be. He may top out as a 70 pt guy but he just absolutely controls the game when he's on the ice.

 

[jonu]

I'm definitely hoping he's the one the Flyers are targetting at 8-9.

Well, considering that the manager of Rantanen's team is one Antero Niittymäki, who is a scout (goalies mainly) for the Flyers, I could nearly bet that Flyers have a lot of info on Rantanen from Niittymäki..

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=673065 (The Niittymäki scout thingie as a reminder..)

 

[IceManCat]

Nope. I don't think Rantanen has proven to be as good prospect as Barkov is. Of course he might have a better transition, but Barkov is starting to show elite offensive play on top of his elite defensive game. I won't complain if Rantanen ends up better, though.

I believe Rantanen will be a winger in the NHL so I cant imagine him being a better player in the NHL than Barkov because of that. Nonetheless I cant wait to see him play next year.

 

[thomast]

After he had played over 22minutes in liiga game he called to U20 TPS coach and asked if he can play for U20 team to help them in playoffs. Lot of respect for this kid.

 

[Paxon]

No way. Barkov as a prospect was simply sublime. I watched a dozen of his Liiga games during the lockout and he was just special. Not to mention that he was nearly a year younger in his draft season than Rantanen is now. I love Rantanen but there is almost no chance of that.

Yeah. Barkov looked like a #1 overall kind of player. Not over MacKinnon, but in a general sense. Boy were some of us Sabres fans mad when we went on a run from last in the conference to eventually drafting 8th. Being that I was high on Ristolainen it wasn't the end of the world, but the team was already garbage and starting to rebuild at that point, so it was pretty frustrating to see us run away from a shot at guys like MacKinnon and Barkov.

In his draft season he had 48 points in 54 games while being a great defensive and off-puck player. He was also one of the youngest guys in his class being an early September birthday, so he was really young playing his pre-draft season professionally. Meanwhile, Rantanen is an October birthday, so he's actually only a year and a month older than Barkov. I'm high on Rantanen though. I have him in the top 10 currently, but I don't see him as being the prospect Barkov was.

 

[Fantomas]

I don't see significant offensive upside here. But I would not be shocked to see a team reach for him. Some teams just fall in love with prospects.

 

[kelsier]

I don't see significant offensive upside here. But I would not be shocked to see a team reach for him. Some teams just fall in love with prospects.

Erm, you don't see a significant offensive upside? Mm'kay, care to elaborate?

 

[Unkki]

TPS-juniors won their second semi final 4-1 against Blues, and atm they lead the series 2-0 (best of five), so they can end it tomorrow. Rantanen scored a goal and also got one primary assist. He was easily the best player on ice, and his goal was pretty nice showing of his strengths. Opponent's biggest star and maybe the top Finnish defender from this year's draft, Veeti Vainio, had the puck in front of his own net, and he tried to start their attack. Rantanen came from behind with nice speed, and he was able to back-check the puck from Vainio with his big reach, and after stealing the puck, he was able to score his own rebound behind the Blues-goalie. His assist was also a nice pass to Siiki, who sniped the puck in from the middle.

 

[Opak]

TPS-juniors won their second semi final 4-1 against Blues, and atm they lead the series 2-0 (best of five), so they can end it tomorrow. Rantanen scored a goal and also got one primary assist. He was easily the best player on ice, and his goal was pretty nice showing of his strengths. Opponent's biggest star and maybe the top Finnish defender from this year's draft, Veeti Vainio, had the puck in front of his own net, and he tried to start their attack. Rantanen came from behind with nice speed, and he was able to back-check the puck from Vainio with his big reach, and after stealing the puck, he was able to score his own rebound behind the Blues-goalie. His assist was also a nice pass to Siiki, who sniped the puck in from the middle.

The TPS U20 team is playing really well. They sent a stacked Kärpät team packing and now they've put a tough Blues team on the brink of elimination. I haven't seen any of the U20 playoff games, but I've heard that Rantanen and Vähätalo have been the difference makers there.

 

[Stizzle]

Well, considering that the manager of Rantanen's team is one Antero Niittymäki, who is a scout (goalies mainly) for the Flyers, I could nearly bet that Flyers have a lot of info on Rantanen from Niittymäki..

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=673065 (The Niittymäki scout thingie as a reminder..)

Could someone please clarify this? Nittymaki is the manager, as in general manager of TPS?

 

[DuckJazz]

Could someone please clarify this? Nittymaki is the manager, as in general manager of TPS?

That title seems to be true yeah, but the actual definition kind of fluctuates in FEL organizations. The previous GM of TPS is now a "player-coprdinator".