2016 Top 25 Avalanche under 25: #4 Mikko Rantanen

The BSN Denver 2016 top 25 Colorado Avalanche under 25 series races towards its conclusion with number 4 on our list, forward Mikko Rantanen. Mikko Rantanen was drafted 10th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and is heading into his second year in the Avalanche organization with the expectation that he will play break into the NHL full time.

As we get closer to the top of our list, the BSN staff inches closer and closer to consensus rankings for the team’s top prospects. Among the seven ballots, Rantanen held an average rank of 3.8 with multiple ballots awarding him a high rank of 3rd overall and just one ballot ranking the big Finn as low as 5th.

Who is Mikko Rantanen?

In a year where Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner are already stealing the rookie spotlight, it’s easy to forget that Mikko Rantanen has the potential to make a major impact on the Avalanche roster this season and even fight for the Calder Trophy as an underdog. After drafting Rantanen 10th overall in 2015, the Colorado Avalanche watched their Finnish power forward prospect grow leaps and bounds in his first post-draft season.

Last season Rantanen captained his native Finland to a WJC Gold Medal, scoring 5 points in 7 games in the process. The 19 year old Rantanen returned to the AHL where he was one of the league’s best players despite his youth and inexperience. Rantanen led the San Antonio Rampage in scoring with 24 goals and 60 points in 54 games en route an AHL All Star appearance and a Garrett Award for the AHL’s top rookie.

While Mikko Rantanen did make his NHL debut last season, the Colorado Avalanche wisely limited the rookie forward to just 9-games, thereby allowing his Entry-Level Contract to slide into this coming season. That decision essentially gave the Avalanche one free year of development for their prized forward and gives the team additional cost control against the salary cap for the next three years.

The big Finnish forward is a left-handed shot and while he has spent the majority of his career playing on his off-side, the right wing, the Avalanche have often experimented with Rantanen at the center position. Rantanen’s size, mature two-way game, and poise make him a versatile player capable of success at either position, but given the Avalanche’s depth chart, Rantanen most likely projects as a right winger at the NHL level.

What is the future for Mikko Rantanen?

Assuming the ankle sprain he sustained in yesterday’s Rookie Showcase game is only a minor injury, Rantanen should spend the preseason battling for a spot on one of the Avalanche’s top two forward lines. The Avalanche have a dearth of offensive wingers and after losing Mikkel Boedker this offseason, the team is counting on Mikko Rantanen to not only make a full time jump to NHL hockey, but also to be an impact player when he gets there.

Given his high-end hockey IQ and impressive physical gifts, Rantanen has the potential to be an impact power forward at the NHL level, but he’ll need to show significant growth over the teenager who failed to register a point in his first 9 NHL games last season.

In the early days of rookie camp, Mikko Rantanen certainly appears to be in a class of his own. He doesn’t have explosive speed or exceptional hands that dazzle the crowd like Nathan MacKinnon or Matt Duchene did in their rookie camps, but his hockey IQ, game sense, decision making, size, strength, and poise all combine to form a player who clearly doesn’t belong with the other prospects.

Rantanen plays a pro-style game and all his professional success so far, combined with his size and strength make it easy to imagine the Finnish forward having an easy, natural transition to the NHL level this year.