Colorado Avalanche: Top 10 prospects entering the 2018 season

7. Sampo Ranta, LW [18 years old]

Stats (Sioux City Musketeers, USHL): 53 gp, 23 g, 14 a, 37 p, 193 shots on goal, 7 PPG (8 A), 2 GWG, 2 empty net goals, .70 pts/g.

Sampo Ranta was projected as a potential first-round pick by some and as a top 50 pick by most in the 2018 NHL Draft. The fact that he fell to 78 for the Colorado Avalanche is a miracle for the team, who could use a big, dominant-on-the-puck power forward who will provide a net-front presence for the future. He already has the body of a good NHLer, standing 6’2″ and weighing in at 190 pounds.

The fact that he fell to 78 for the Colorado Avalanche is a miracle for the team

Ranta is an excellent goal scorer, and he came up with 23 goals in 53 games. That was good for tied for 18th this past season in the USHL. He’s developing a goal scorer’s touch, and again, for the role he plays, he’s scoring repeatable high-danger goals and is learning to score on the cleanup. For the future Colorado Avalanche’s power play, that’s an incredibly useful asset.

And that’s what Ranta should be. He might not get much higher than a good middle-six forward, but he’ll be excellent on the power play. For a team in need of depth and better tools for the man advantage, that’s a good thing.