NHL Prospect Profile: Sampo Ranta

Statistics

Scout Quotes

Ranta is the type of player who will drive pro coaches crazy. There is clearly a ton of offensive skill here. However, he will need to work on his compete level to excel at the next level. Ranta must work to be more willing to battle in the dirty areas of the ice going forward. This includes both the defensive and offensive zone. Perhaps he will become more engaged once he adds a little bit of bulk. Even if the compete level improves, learning the defensive side of the game will then become the challenge as he starts out a bit behind his colleagues. – Last Word on Hockey

AJ’s Thoughts

Ranta is a great skater who impresses with his offensive arsenal. There were some early shades of Eeli Tolvanen but his goal-scoring fell off as the year went on and his playmaking wasn’t quite at the same level as Tolvanen’s last year. Despite being a heavy-volume shooter for Sioux City, he still managed “just” 23 goals for the Musketeers. He’s a major work in progress but his offensive upside was able to stand out in the defensively-minded USHL.

I don’t love his playmaking ability and that he’s a much better shooter than passer he can come across as selfish. His skill level is high and his skating really jumps off the ice when you watch him. He was buried as a depth guy in his international appearances so the production wasn’t anything special. He’s an interesting player in his own right and he will be fun to watch at the University of Wisconsin next season as Tony Granato has assembled a star-studded recruiting class for his Badgers.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

Ranta has good size and as a winger with great shooting ability, he would seem to be a natural fit in the pass-heavy Avalanche organization. They could certainly use some guys who get down to business and score goals but Ranta’s limitations as a player beyond that are pretty significant. He’s listed as a second-round guy by most services simply because goal-scoring is that important but I think that would be a bit high for Colorado. In his current form, Ranta is a one-dimensional prospect who needs serious work on his all-around game in order to be a consistently effective player. His skating and goal-scoring being what they are very Grabner-esque but he’s nowhere near that defensive talent yet. He would be a much better fit value-wise for Colorado in the third round and beyond.

Rankings

#57 Future Considerations
#54 McKeen’s Hockey