The Colorado Avalanche added their third consecutive European prospect when they drafted forward Sampo Ranta with their second selection in the third round at 78 overall.

The 18-year-old left wing played last season for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. His 37-point season (23g, 14a) was solid enough to keep him in the top three rounds despite there being some significant limitations to his game.

The speedy winger felt like he was a good fit for Colorado, especially after meeting with them.

“Yeah, I had meetings with Colorado,” Ranta explained. “So I little bit expected it. We had a good time, good talks. I’m really excited.”

The feeling is likely mutual as the Avalanche has stated skating prowess is one of the things they are looking at when breaking down prospects. Skating is certainly something Ranta is in spades, as it is arguably his greatest asset, something he freely acknowledges.

“I have a lot of speed,” Ranta said right off the bat. “Playing with speed is my strength for sure. Big shot, try to create offense and strong skater.”

He’ll be very comfortable coming to Colorado, which has a knack for finding players with curious routes to the NHL. As a Finnish import playing in the USHL in preparation of a college career, Ranta will head to the University of Wisconsin next year to play under former Avalanche head coach Tony Granato.

“They have such a great coaching staff,” Ranta said of the group at Wisconsin. “I mean Tony Granato, great coach. I think he’s going to help me a lot and make me a better player for sure. And the Big-10 is a great league, too. It’s a fast league, so I think it’s going to be good for me.”

The NCAA style of play will certainly help Ranta smooth out some of the kinks in his game, especially on the defensive side where badly struggles to be a positive contributor.

Leaving Finland early to pursue the NCAA route, Ranta has loved his time spent in North America and isn’t looking to leave anytime soon.

“It’s been good for me,” Ranta said enthusiastically. “I loved it. I think it’s been a step forward as a player and person too. Moving away from home was a big decision for me. I loved it here. I had a great time here.”

His next stop is the highly competitive Big-10, which saw three members compete in the Frozen Four this past season. The Avalanche already have several prospects playing in the league so Ranta is going to make it even easier for the development staff to keep tabs on Colorado’s prospects.

“I know it’s a great league,” Ranta said. “They have a lot of good players too. Going from college to NHL. That’s my goal, to play in the NHL. At the same time, I’m going to do school little bit and maybe get an education. And Big-10 is a great league and I think it’s going to be good for me.

Ranta would describe the draft process as “amazing” and say it was a “dream come true” for him to be drafted by the Avalanche, adding, “It’s an honor.”

Be sure to check out our in-house scouting report of Ranta!