Eurolanche

WJC: Rantanen lit the lamp

The first four games of the 2016 World Junior Championship, which takes place in Helsinki, were played today. The Avalanche have two prospects attending this year’s tourney – Finnish forward Mikko Rantanen and Russian defenseman Sergei Boikov. First up was Boikov, drafted in the 6^th round, 161^st overall, with Russia squaring off against the Czech Republic. The 19-year-old defenseman was paired with talented blue-liner Ivan Provorov and registered 3 shots and 4 penalty minutes, as the Russian beat their Czech counterparts 2-1 following a shootout.

Rantanen, who was Colorado’s first pick of the 2015 draft, got to showcase his skill against Belarus, serving as Finland’s captain and scoring a goal en route to an easy 6-0 win for the hosts. Rantanen played on a line with Kasperi Kapanen and Roope Hintz. The game was preceded by a ceremony, during which Finland retired the jerseys of former Finnish internationals Ville Peltonen, Saku Koivu and Jere Lehtinen. All in all, Rantanen registered a goal, 2 shots on goal and finished the night with a plus-minus of +1.

Rantanen's empty-netter sealed a 6-0 win for the hosts

Both Avalanche prospects will have a day off, which will be followed by them meeting head-to-head, as Finland will play Russia on Monday.