Adam Proteau is spotlighting goalie Antti Raanta, the Utah NHL team's possible 'Yeti' name and Leafs prospect Fraser Minten.
Welcome back to Screen Shots, a regular THN.com feature in which we tackle a few different hockey topics, and analyze them in a few short paragraphs. Let’s get to it:
North America can say farewell to veteran goaltender Antti Raanta, who announced this week he’s heading to Europe to finish out his professional career. The 35-year-old Finn played 11 NHL seasons, posting a .915 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average in 277 regular-season appearances, and spent his last three years with the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
Raanta said he did have some interest in a North American job, but the prospect of playing in the AHL and riding buses at his age probably wasn’t especially appealing. And let’s be honest – European players have every right to want to play closer to home. We’d never begrudge a Canadian or American player for choosing to work in their hometown, and, understandably, European players would choose to finish their careers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Raanta never won a Vezina Trophy or even came close as he served mainly in a backup role, but carving out 11 NHL seasons is no small feat. With Frederik Andersen in 2021-22, they won the William M. Jennings Trophy as well.
Best of luck to him as he maps out his final stretch of on-ice action.
Utah Hockey Club star forward Clayton Keller strongly hinted at the future name of the first-year franchise this week, pointing to the wildly popular ‘Yeti’ name as the probable team name. Officially, Utah’s ownership has stated there won’t be a decision on the team name until next season, but ‘Yeti’ feels like the worst-kept secret in the NHL at the moment.
As we’ve said before, ‘Yeti’ is the best option out there for Utah. It’s a fun name in the vein of the Seattle Kraken, and many fans are expecting Yeti to win the battle for the team’s name. Ownership probably wants as much time as possible to choose the right graphic design for the new name, but if Yeti doesn’t wind up being the team’s pick, there are going to be many fans let down by the decision. Yeti works very well as an interest-drawer for the franchise, so no one should be shocked when it becomes the choice that wins out.
Finally, let’s talk about Fraser Minten, the Toronto Maple Leafs center prospect who is going to be going into the Leafs’ training camp focused on winning an NHL job. The 20-year-old has already had an impact in Toronto’s rookie camp, but the Leafs’ depth at forward almost certainly means Minten will start the regular season at the American League level with the Toronto Marlies.
Injuries or underachievement by the Leafs' bottom-six forwards could lead to an NHL opportunity for Minten during the regular season, but there’s no need to rush him into hockey’s best league. Minten wouldn’t be the first prospect to need time to hone his craft in the AHL, and he won’t be the last. The Leafs are built to win now, and they don’t need to pressure Minten (or fellow junior hockey star Easton Cowan) to secure an NHL job.
Minten has nothing to prove at the junior hockey level, as he posted 19 goals and 38 points in 36 games with Saskatoon of the WHL last season. Playing against full-grown men with the Marlies is his next challenge, and if he can thrive in the AHL, an extended NHL opportunity will arrive in the next couple of years. For now, though, Minten can focus on his game out of the spotlight, and that should allow him to sufficiently improve enough to become an NHLer soon enough.