On Wednesday, the Finnish men’s national team received two welcome confirmations for the spring WC tournament. Colorado Avalanche Mikko Rantanen and the New York Rangers Kaapo Kako joined the team’s journey from the NHL.
Of this duo, Mikko Rantanen, 26, belongs to the superstar category.
Rantanen scored 55 goals and 105 power points in the NHL regular season this season. He is the first Finnish player who has been able to complete more than 50 goals and 100 power points in a season in the 2000s. Before Ranta, only Finns were able to do this Jari Kurri and Teemu Selänne.
The NHL season ended in disappointment as the Seattle Kraken knocked off the reigning champions in the opening round.
– He is a world-class winger. One of the best. A good-natured leader who can adapt to any situation, sums up Urheilu’s expert Ismo Lehkonen.
Rantanen’s strength is precisely its versatility. He has played in the NHL this season as a center forward in addition to the wing position, and the performance level has not dropped due to the change of position.
In Leijon, Rantanen can be cast in almost any role if necessary. Lehkonen gives three examples of Rantanen’s versatility.
– He can act as a quarterback if the chain partner is a player who drives straight to the goal and to the goal posts.
– If the chain needs a player who twists in the corners and in front of the goal, Mikko can fulfill that role as well.
– With superior strength, he can play any role, except for the position of a linebacker.
Rantanen was the captain when Finland’s under-20s won the World Cup gold at the home games in 2016. Then the head coach was Jukka Jalonenwho is now coaching Leijon.
“The Lions get a hungry, energetic player from Kako”
Kakko is also a familiar player to Jalose.
At the age of 18, Kakko played in the World Championships in Bratislava, when Finland celebrated the world championship in Slovakia in the spring of 2019. In the 10 tournament matches he played, Kakko collected 6+1=7 performances. His trophy cabinet also includes gold medals from the 2018 under-18 World Championships and the 2019 under-20 World Championships.
Lehkonen knew how to wait for Kako, 22, to arrive at the WC home tournament.
– Great confirmation! There was a star shower for Rangers near the transfer deadline, and that’s how it usually happens that such hard status confirmations pass young players by. In my opinion, this was not really fair, when Kaapo played really good shifts and minutes, being dangerous all the time, says Lehkonen.
In this season’s playoffs, Kakko collected 1+1=2 points in the seven Devils matches he played. The man from Turku only got the ninth most responsibility among the Rangers’ forwards, about 13 and a half minutes per match – almost two minutes less than in the regular season.
– In the last games, in the middle of the sixth game, coaching already started to move Kakko up in the rotation. Leijonat gets a hungry, full-of-energy player in its crew, describes Lehkonen.
Kako has a lot of familiar players in Leijon
At the closing ceremony of the NY Rangers’ season, Kakko directly informed the media that he wants more responsibility and superior time in the future in order to take the next step in the NHL.
– I dare to say that Kaapo didn’t even empty his tank in the NHL playoffs. He will come to the World Cup in a familiar environment, where there are many familiar players, and the style of play is already known, says the hockey expert.
Kakko played a full 82 regular season games with 18+22=40 points.
Thursday 4.5. in the starting Czech EHT tournament, eleven familiar 2019 world champions to Kako will cool off. In the World Cup final in Bratislava against Canada, Kakko played together in the Lions’ second chain Harri Pesonen and the center Sakari Manninen with.
– The biggest thing for Leijon in the Czech tournament is that the Leijon players from the NHL and North America learn “the ways of the house”, Lehkonen says, referring first of all to the defender Olli Määtätä and attackers Joel Armia, Kasperi Kapanen and Sakari Manninen.
With this information, Kakko and Rantanen will join the Leijoni’s journey only next week.
Thu 4.5. Finland–Czech Republic at 19:20
Sat 6.5. Switzerland–Finland at 13:00
Sun 7.5. Sweden-Finland at 13:00