It wasn't always easy growing up in Lappland, the largest but also most northern province in Finland. While it is a very popular destination for tourists, it is very tough on the people living there. One of them is the 17 year old finish "sensaatio" Sami Raanta.
"Growing up here is definitely a different experience than growing up as a sunnyboy in California or Florida. I mean, when it is winter, the sun is up for about 2 hours, sometimes it doesn't really rise at all. And when it's summer, we can see the sun at midnight. It's crazy but it definitely is tough on you" said Raanta when I visited him 3 weeks ago in his hometown "Ivalo". But it is definitely not the only thing that you have to get used to. When I got off my plane, the first thing on my mind was to just get back in it and fly home. The cold was insane. I just couldn't imagine living there for all my life. But there are people who do.
Sami Raanta played hockey since he was 2 years old. "We got a big lake here and my father gave me skates when I was two or three years old. And since then I didn't really took them off". Not literally of course. Sami Raanta now is a big young man. He is 6'3 and weighs 220 pounds. Since his first time on skates, Raante has come a long way. With 16 years he started to play in the finish men's league SM-liiga and never looked back. In the past season he scored a very impressive 32 points in 56 games. As as comparison: Mikko Rantanen scored 28 points at the same age.
Sami Raanta is the finish sensation and he will come over to the SMJHL to take part in the junior's draft. Sami Raanta is a big center who doesn't really use his big frame too much. His hockey IQ and skills are off the chart. He is always looking for the perfect pass but definitely has a dangerous shot, too.
"As a kid my father told me to not be selfish. It's the culture here, we have to stick together to get through. And it helped me immensely on the ice". When he became 16 years old, he left his hometown to become a player for Kärpät. Kärpät is playing in Oulu which is a 6 hour car ride from Ivalo.
"It was tough. I love my family and basically the whole town is my family. So when I had to leave, it was probably the hardest thing I had to do all my life. I don't think that it will be any harder when I make the trip overseas to the SHL. I mean, in the end it doesn't matter if you're 6 hours away or have to fly 10 hours. It's just the same". I don't know if the family of Raanta would agree but it shows that this kid is tough and will do anything to reach his goals. And his dreams. "I always dreamed of becoming a SHL star. This is the necessary step know so this is really all I want to do".
I asked Raanta if he got in touch with the teams of the SMJHL yet. "I did. I had talks with all ten teams. I think they all were interested. It was tough since english isn't my native language and it felt like a grind. Nearly all teams had the same questions and sometimes I had to talk about my favorite meme. We don't even have internet in Ivalo". Obviously that was a joke. "I had to answer a question about Poptart. I don't even know what that is. I mean, does this mean I will get drafted in a late round ... because I couldn't answer a question about Poptart?".
It is a seldom glimpse behind the scenes that Raanta is offering us. Never before did I asked myself how tough this must be for young men from outside North America to leave their place and their families to come to a foreign country and answer questions from people he never saw before and about things he never heard about. But I guess this is all part of the business.
I asked Raanta what player he wants to be and what he wants to achieve in the SMJHL.
"I want to win championships. I really don't care what league I am in as long as I get to hoist cups. And I want to play a big part in it. I think that I proved that I can be a big time player and that I will only get better in the future. This is a promise I can give to the team that ends up drafting me - I won't disappoint and I will lead my team to a championship."
These are big words out of an 18 year old. But sitting here in Ivalo, in a small house by a big lake and looking at skates for a 3 year old hanging on the wall - I believe everything that came out of Raanta's mouth.
In my eyes, Raanta is a player that every team needs. He will have problems adjusting to the North American sized rink, he will have problems with the language and he will have problems getting used to the new culture that he is not familiar with. But this guy has his priorities straight. Above all he wants to win championships and he will do anything that is possible to help reach this goal. He is a big playmaking center, something every team desperately looks for. Drafting him will be anything but a mistake.
I got on the plane later that day. And I could see the northern lights. And in this moment I realized that the big lights of Manhattan are nothing against these. Maybe Raanta will be the Northern light in the SHL one day.
Sami![[Image: jHIZWUN.png]](https://i.imgur.com/jHIZWUN.png)
![[Image: sIjpJeQ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sIjpJeQ.png)
