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Avalanche select Mikko Rantanen with 10th overall pick

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

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The Colorado Avalanche selected forward Mikko Rantanen with the 10th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

2014-15 Stats

Team GP Goals Assists Points PIM
TPS (Liiga) 56 9 19 28 22

Overview

Mikko Rantanen entered the draft as the top-rated European skater by NHL Central Scouting.

A product of Finnish club TPS, Rantanen rose through the ranks of the junior program before making his Liiga debut in 2014-15. There, he scored nine goals and added 19 assists while serving as an alternate captain, a most impressive showing for the 18-year-old.

He also scored four goals in five games at the World Junior Championship.

What the scouts are saying

Goran Stubb, NHL's director of European scouting:

He's a physically strong power forward with very good playmaking abilities, smart, active and involved on every shift. He has very good speed and quickness for a big man and plays with authority. He's difficult to check, protects the puck well and has good hands.

Steve Koumianos, The Draft Analyst:

Rantanen is most certainly a skilled power forward, but not in the physical sense. He has an NHL build and he uses his size to protect the puck as good as anyone in the draft, but he's also a very good playmaker who sees the ice exceptionally well and can draw opponents towards him before hitting the open man; an underrated aspect of his game. ... He does not possess nor rely on one signature move or asset - he scores goals any which way he can. ... His skating was once a serious concern, but he clearly made strides to improve his mobility as he now possesses a quick first step and a powerful wide stride.

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