After parts of three seasons in the Colorado Avalanche organization, pending restricted free agent forward Sampo Ranta has decided to leave.
On Thursday it was revealed that Ranta has left the organization to return to Europe, signing a two-year contract with MoDo, who recently gained promotion back to the Swedish Hockey League.Note: the quotes in this story are translated from Swedish.
"I chose MoDo because it is a club with ambitions and a drive to achieve success. It is also a club with a lot of tradition and history. It felt like it suited me well and I have heard very good things about MoDo and Örnsköldsvik from my Swedish friends." Ranta said.
He added, "My big goal is to help MoDo win many games and to achieve success in the SHL. As a player, I am driven to take steps forward. The SHL is a very good league with great competition and I think it will be a lot of fun."
He added, "My big goal is to help MoDo win many games and to achieve success in the SHL. As a player, I am driven to take steps forward. The SHL is a very good league with great competition and I think it will be a lot of fun."
Ranta, 22, was selected in the third round (78th overall) by the Avalanche in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In 2021, after three seasons with the University of Minnesota, he signed his entry-level contract and joined the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, while also appearing in two Stanley Cup Playoff games that year.
The Naantali (Finland) native went on to appear in 16 regular season games for the Avalanche between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but didn't record any points. The majority of Ranta's professional career in North America was spent with the Eagles, where he had 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists), 49 penalty minutes and was a minus-six.
If the Avalanche decide to issue a qualifying offer to Sampo Ranta, they will retain his rights for the next few years before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
| POLL | ||
May 26 | 69 answers Avalanche RFA forward won't be returning to the organization Do you think Ranta will ever return to North America? | ||
| Yes | 10 | 14.5 % |
| No | 34 | 49.3 % |
| Unsure | 18 | 26.1 % |
| See Results | 7 | 10.1 % |
| LIST OF POLL | ||
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