Mikko Rantanen

Mikko Rantanen
Rantanen with the Dallas Stars on 29 March 2025
Born (1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 30)
Nousiainen, Finland
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 228 lb (103 kg; 16 st 4 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Dallas Stars
TPS
Colorado Avalanche
Carolina Hurricanes
National team  Finland
NHL draft 10th overall, 2015
Colorado Avalanche
Playing career 2012–present

Mikko Rantanen (born 29 October 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes. Outside of the NHL, Rantanen played for TPS of the SM-liiga/Liiga.

Rantanen is a one-time Stanley Cup champion, winning with the Avalanche in 2022. He is also a two-time All-Star, being named one in 2019 and 2023. Internationally, Rantanen plays for Finland and is a one-time bronze medal winner, winning in 2026.

Career

Before playing in the NHL, Rantanen played three seasons with TPS of the SM-liiga/Liiga.

He was drafted 10th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2015 NHL entry draft. On 13 July 2015, Rantanen signed a three-year entry-level contract to join the Avalanche.

On 8 October 2015, Rantanen made his NHL debut in a 5–4 loss against the Minnesota Wild. On 5 November 2016, he recorded his first NHL point after assisting on a Gabriel Landeskog goal in a 1–0 win against the Minnesota Wild. On 11 November, Rantanen scored his first NHL goal on the powerplay against Michael Hutchinson in a 3–2 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets. On 7 February 2017, Rantanen recorded his first NHL hat-trick in a 4–0 win against the Montreal Canadiens. On 28 September 2019, Rantanen signed a six-year, $55.5 million contract to stay with the Avalanche. He helped the Avalanche during the playoffs. They defeated the Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Edmonton Oilers. They went on to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two in the Final to win the Stanley Cup.

On 24 January 2025, Rantanen was involved in a three-team trade with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks. The Avalanche traded Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jack Drury, Martin Nečas, a 2025 second-round draft pick, and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick. Taylor Hall was also traded to the Hurricanes and the Blackhawks received a 2025 third-round draft pick while retaining 50% of Rantanen's contract value against the salary cap. He scored 2 goals and recorded 4 assists in 13 regular season games for the Hurricanes.

On 7 March 2025, Rantanen was involved in a sign-and-trade deal. The Hurricanes traded Rantanen to the Dallas Stars in exchange for two conditional first-round draft picks (both top 10 protected). Rantanen then signed a eight-year, $96 million contract to stay with the Stars. During game 1 of the Western Conference first round on 7 May 2025, Rantanen recorded a hat-trick and became only the third player in league history to record hat-tricks in two consecutive playoff games.

References

  1. ↑ "Avalanche selects Mikko Rantanen in first round". Colorado Avalanche. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ "Avalanche Signs Mikko Rantanen". Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Zach Parise has hat trick as Wild rally from 3-goal deficit in 3rd to beat Avs". ESPN. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Rantanen Scores Gorgeous First NHL Goal". Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  5. ↑ "This is not a misprint: Avalanche routs Canadiens behind Mikko Rantanen's first career hat trick". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Avalanche Signs Mikko Rantanen to Six-Year Deal". Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Avalanche edge Lightning in Game 6, win Cup for first time since 2001". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Canes Acquire Rantanen, Hall In Three-Team Deal". Carolina Hurricanes. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Dallas Stars acquire forward Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes, sign to eight-year contract extension". Dallas Stars. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Stars' Mikko Rantanen becomes third player to record back-to-back playoff hat tricks". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 31, 2026.

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