W/C Mikko Rantanen (2015, 10th, COL) II

[Mahonkinen]

As a leaf fan, watching the world juniors last year and us not being as low in the standing at the time, this was a guy that stood out for me wanting to draft. After that, we tanked and he seemed like a bit of a reach to grab at 4 and I was happy with Marner but this guy has every attribute you need to be successful and not a flaw to him. I could see him jumping lots of guys drafted ahead of him already, and especially in the upcoming years.

He was a perfect pick with the likes of mackinnon, duchene and landeskog in the Colorado system. I never post on here but felt I would pump this guys tires cause he's done nothing but deserve it.

I kid you not I was just today thinking how leafs fans are not so likeable and here you are proofing me wrong..

On topic. Would be so nice if he could turn out to be a center. Our NT needs some1 like him behind (or front?) of Barky.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Here's his highlights from that previous game.

 

[tigervixxxen]

 

[Rebels57]

Considering he is only 1.5 months older that Matthews... Do you all think he would give him a run for the 1st overall? Or because he is a winger would he slide into the 2/3/4 slot with Laine and Puljujarvi?

Rantanen is not in Matthews league.

 

[Ippenator]

Rantanen is not in Matthews league.

Well, Rantanen's statistics from this season for sure prove otherwise. PPG at the same level with Matthews in a clearly tougher league. And when you look at Rantanen's +- you have to be amazed, especially as his team is clearly on the minus side and none of his team mates are even remotely close at his +-. He has incredible stats really.

These comments clearly show how underrated Finnish players mostly are. And also how overrated the golden boy Matthews really is, although a very good player, nothing against that. But as he plays in a relatively weak European league, I can't see that his playing this season is so much in his own class, as some people here like to promote. He is talented, but not head above the most talented players from this year's and last year's drafts. In fact good draft years both of them.

 

[YARR123]

Well, Rantanen's statistics from this season for sure prove otherwise. PPG at the same level with Matthews in a clearly tougher league. And when you look at Rantanen's +- you have to be amazed, especially as his team is clearly on the minus side and none of his team mates are even remotely close at his +-. He has incredible stats really.

These comments clearly show how underrated Finnish players mostly are. And also how overrated the golden boy Matthews really is, although a very good player, nothing against that. But as he plays in a relatively weak European league, I can't see that his playing this season is so much in his own class, as some people here like to promote. He is talented, but not head above the most talented players from this year's and last year's drafts. In fact good draft years both of them.

There's absolutely nothing to show that Matthews is overrated. A vast majority of scouts have him as 1st overall. He's producing at a sick clip, in a very good pro league. It's funny that a few Finnish posters like you start bashing on the NLA as soon as it fits their own agenda. Until now it's been clear that the level of the NLA has been going up for a long time. Just ridiculous to downplay it as a "relatively weak league". Relative to what, the NHL? Maybe. Relative to Liiga? That's just ridiculous. Somehow a myth that the NLA only contains 3 strong teams and 9 scrubs is being resurfaced. And that those 3 teams have an easy time scoring on the other 9 amateur teams. It has nothing to do with reality.

The fact is that the best Swiss players plays almost entirely in their own league (apart from 10 or so in NA), and the quality has been going up continuously. In addition to that, the NLA has an abundance of high quality foreign players. The quality of foreign players in NLA is clearly superior to that of Liiga. Liiga has superior depth and culture of playing a strong team game, but that doesn't mean Liiga is a better league by a landslide. The difference isn't that big.

Also btw Rantanen is a year older than Matthews so the comparison is weird.

 

[ikzu]

FFS those pink San Antonio jerseys looks ugly.

 

[Ippenator]

The fact is that the best Swiss players plays almost entirely in their own league (apart from 10 or so in NA), and the quality has been going up continuously. In addition to that, the NLA has an abundance of high quality foreign players. The quality of foreign players in NLA is clearly superior to that of Liiga. Liiga has superior depth and culture of playing a strong team game, but that doesn't mean Liiga is a better league by a landslide. The difference isn't that big.

Also btw Rantanen is a year older than Matthews so the comparison is weird.

I didn't claim that Rantanen is a better prospect than Matthews, but I answered the arrogant comment where someone claimed that Rantanen is not in the same league as Matthews. In my opinion they are quite much in the same league, as both are very promising prospects. In some areas Matthews is definitely more promising, but in some areas Rantanen is definitely better and more promising. To say that either is clearly better or more promising is pure arrogance and lack of facts.

I pointed out that Rantanen has comparable or even better stats than Matthews in a an even better league than NLA is. Ok, my choice of words (relatively weak league), were probably a bit sloppy and provocative. I meant it more in that way that I see AHL as a clearly better and tougher league than NLA. Can't say that NLA is really a weak league itself, although I also don't see it in the same class as NHL > KHL > AHL > SEL > FEL group is. It is not a weak league, but it is still not in the same class as any of the other mentioned leagues are. I don't see a very big difference after KHL there. But the difference between FEL and NLA is already bigger, even though I agree with you in that, that NLA might even have a few better top stars than FEL, but even there the difference is marginal. The overall talent difference is then after all much bigger in the favor of FEL, when you compare all the NLA and FEL teams. That is what after all most clearly defines the class of each league.

Every time I bring up that Matthews is overrated I also point out that he is a very good and talented player. Just not so much better than the other top talents close to his age. I still truly see it in this way. But it is after all a waste of time to argue longer about this, as only time will tell how good Matthews and all the other talents will after all be.

 

[YARR123]

I didn't claim that Rantanen is a better prospect than Matthews, but I answered the arrogant comment where someone claimed that Rantanen is not in the same league as Matthews. In my opinion they are quite much in the same league, as both are very promising prospects. In some areas Matthews is definitely more promising, but in some areas Rantanen is definitely better and more promising. To say that either is clearly better or more promising is pure arrogance and lack of facts.

They are, agreed. Have to remember though, that Rantanen is a year older, and at such a young age one year of development is pretty huge. I'm pretty sure scouts think that Matthews is going to be a better player. Rantanen has improved his value for sure, and in a redraft would go a lot higher than 10th OA.

Rantanen's AHL season has been crazy, but Matthews is clearly ahead of last year's Rantanen. And Matthews does have game breaking skill that Rantanen probably doesn't have (to such an extent at least).

If Rantanen was a year younger, it would be very interesting, however. And it's true, AHL is stronger than NLA, and statistically Rantanen's production is more impressive. But it's very hard to compare stats from across leagues, so many things come to play.

I pointed out that Rantanen has comparable or even better stats than Matthews in a an even better league than NLA is. Ok, my choice of words (relatively weak league), were probably a bit sloppy and provocative. I meant it more in that way that I see AHL as a clearly better and tougher league than NLA. Can't say that NLA is really a weak league itself, although I also don't see it in the same class as NHL > KHL > AHL > SEL > FEL group is. It is not a weak league, but it is still not in the same class as any of the other mentioned leagues are. I don't see a very big difference after KHL there. But the difference between FEL and NLA is already bigger, even though I agree with you in that, that NLA might even have a few better top stars than FEL, but even there the difference is marginal. The overall talent difference is then after all much bigger in the favor of FEL, when you compare all the NLA and FEL teams. That is what after all most clearly defines the class of each league.

I think it's more than a few. Take someone like Jarkko Immonen for example. Or Mathis Olimb, PM Bouchard, Tony MÃ¥rtensson, Sakari Salminen etc., impossible to get any of these guys to play in Liiga. I'd definitely say that NLA should be in the same group as the leagues you mentioned. It's very hard to compare though, so we can't really know.

Every time I bring up that Matthews is overrated I also point out that he is a very good and talented player. Just not so much better than the other top talents close to his age. I still truly see it in this way. But it is after all a waste of time to argue longer about this, as only time will tell how good Matthews and all the other talents will after all be.

I still don't know why Matthews would be overrated though. You seem to agree that he's a very talented player. He's the most likely 1st overall pick, of course he's rated very high and spoken highly of.

 

[ocrighton]

Putting up amazing numbers in the AHL. Really weird he didn't do more damage at the WJC. Not that I think it matters.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Mikko has 13 points in 8 games since returning from the WJC. This is progress you want to see in a prospect. Seems to be improving with each additional week of experience he accumulates in the AHL.

 

[FinPanda]

I think Rantanen is better player on the small ice than the big ice.

 

[YARR123]

Putting up amazing numbers in the AHL. Really weird he didn't do more damage at the WJC. Not that I think it matters.

Some possible reasons:

- Small sample size
- Jet lag for a couple of games
- Not being particularly hot
- Not needing to do any magic tricks, as the top line provided the magic

That said, he looked very good as the tournament wore on, very solid in semis and in the final.

 

[Ippenator]

Putting up amazing numbers in the AHL. Really weird he didn't do more damage at the WJC. Not that I think it matters.

There's a rumour that he was playing in the WJC with an injured wrist. This could at least partially explain his a bit disappointing WJC. Another factor could be that Roope Hintz whom he played with in the same line for the whole tournament, was also just recovering from a longer time injury and has been after that injury just a shadow of his former self. Two players in not their best condition playing in the same line the whole tournament, could at least partially also explain Rantanen's occasional difficulties at WJC. I think Jalonen (the Finnish coach) was counting maybe even too much on Rantanen's and Hintz's previous line chemistry from the past. Both managed to raise their level at least for the last two important games.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Some possible reasons:

- Small sample size
- Jet lag for a couple of games
- Not being particularly hot
- Not needing to do any magic tricks, as the top line provided the magic

That said, he looked very good as the tournament wore on, very solid in semis and in the final.

He was also hurt during the tournament. He actually missed a few games with SA when the WJC ended to heal. Still 5 points playing hurt but more importantly showing up in the biggest games shows what type of player he can be.

 

[The Merchant]

 

[Mad Brills*]

I really think the leafs were eyeing him when they fielded calls to trade down.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

A goal and an assist tonight in the 3rd period.

 

[Dabest]

If Provorov was off the board I wanted Rantanen for the Flyers

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Hard to believe he is only 11 points back of the scoring lead in the AHL in 16 games fewer games. Unheard of for a player just drafted this past summer.

 

[Ippenator]

Hard to believe he is only 11 points back of the scoring lead in the AHL in 16 games fewer games. Unheard of for a player just drafted this past summer.

He is having quite an amazing season really. His stats are more and more starting to look ridiculous. I mean, PPG over 1,30 and getting better all the time. His +- is already +27, while his next best team mate has +11 and the worst in his team has -14. At the same time William Nylander, with identical PPG, has only +7 in a much better team where the best team mate has +29 and several guys have +20 and better. It seems funnier and funnier when some people claim that Rantanen is not the same class player as Nylander. Sure Nylander is better in some aspects of the game, but Rantanen is also clearly better in several aspects. Great prospects both of them. Will be interesting to see which one will be better at the NHL level. I believe that both will be great but quite different in styles.

 

[PAZ]

He is having quite an amazing season really. His stats are more and more starting to look ridiculous. I mean, PPG over 1,30 and getting better all the time. His +- is already +27, while his next best team mate has +11 and the worst in his team has -14. At the same time William Nylander, with identical PPG, has only +7 in a much better team where the best team mate has +29 and several guys have +20 and better. It seems funnier and funnier when some people claim that Rantanen is not the same class player as Nylander. Sure Nylander is better in some aspects of the game, but Rantanen is also clearly better in several aspects. Great prospects both of them. Will be interesting to see which one will be better at the NHL level. I believe that both will be great but quite different in styles.

Because Rantanen isn't flashy and dynamic like Nylander is. Rantanen will rarely have one of those jawdropping plays, but that's because he does the simple, high percentage plays. It's part of the reason why Barkov really wasn't noticed until the end of last year. Sure people knew about his defensive game, but a lot of people who didn't watch him didn't think he had the skillset to be an elite #1C, calling him a 50-60 point center at his peak.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

He is having quite an amazing season really. His stats are more and more starting to look ridiculous. I mean, PPG over 1,30 and getting better all the time. His +- is already +27, while his next best team mate has +11 and the worst in his team has -14. At the same time William Nylander, with identical PPG, has only +7 in a much better team where the best team mate has +29 and several guys have +20 and better. It seems funnier and funnier when some people claim that Rantanen is not the same class player as Nylander. Sure Nylander is better in some aspects of the game, but Rantanen is also clearly better in several aspects. Great prospects both of them. Will be interesting to see which one will be better at the NHL level. I believe that both will be great but quite different in styles.

Also 15 points in 9 games since the WJC. Getting more and more comfortable playing in NA. He won't be in the AHL for long. But if he played for SA next year. He would put up ungodly numbers if SA iced a decent team.

 

[X66]

He is having quite an amazing season really. His stats are more and more starting to look ridiculous. I mean, PPG over 1,30 and getting better all the time. His +- is already +27, while his next best team mate has +11 and the worst in his team has -14. At the same time William Nylander, with identical PPG, has only +7 in a much better team where the best team mate has +29 and several guys have +20 and better. It seems funnier and funnier when some people claim that Rantanen is not the same class player as Nylander. Sure Nylander is better in some aspects of the game, but Rantanen is also clearly better in several aspects. Great prospects both of them. Will be interesting to see which one will be better at the NHL level. I believe that both will be great but quite different in styles.

This type of thing will be determined in the NHL.

Sure the points are similar, but the AHL is such a backwards league when it comes to tracking stats etc. Nylander plays on a stacked team, so the need to overplay him is very rare, but it's hard to compare when you don't have the ice time+zone starts+quality of competition available.

 

[Ippenator]

This type of thing will be determined in the NHL.

Sure the points are similar, but the AHL is such a backwards league when it comes to tracking stats etc. Nylander plays on a stacked team, so the need to overplay him is very rare, but it's hard to compare when you don't have the ice time+zone starts+quality of competition available.

Well, Nylander's high scoring but relatively low +- in such a dominating team does suggest that he is getting quite a hefty amount of ice time and points on power play (otherwise it is hard to understand such lowish +-). If my suspicion is true, then I doubt that Nylander's and Rantanen's ice times are too much differing from each others. Also playing a lot of power play means a lot of offensive zone quality zone starts. Hard to see any explanation to put down Rantanen's stats compared to Nylander's stats. On the contrary, even the shooting accuracy for Rantanen is just pure amazing, as he has scored 17 goals with only 69 shots, while Nylander has scored 15 goals with 94 shots which is already a good accuracy in scoring. Rantanen just seems to be on an unbelievable level with his scoring. Of course this can't continue forever, but it still seems that he is anyway an efficient type of scorer.