Drafted as a late round pick in 2016, Aepeli Rasanen is a prospect that has flown under the radar a little bit with Oilers fans, but one that is still worth noting. While still a long-term project, there is potential for Rasanen to develop into a two-way center provided that he continues to work on his game while also making the most of his time with Boston College. Rasanan just wrapped up his first season with Boston College, where he put up four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 32 games played. Heading into his sophomore season, one would expect that he will earn more minutes and a larger role with his college team, and it will be very interesting to see how he handles the challenge.
Position: Centre — Shoots: Right
Born: June 1st, 1998 — City: Tampere, Finland
Height: 6 feet 0 inches — Weight: 208 lbs [183 cm/94 kg]
Drafted: 153rd overall (6th Round) in the 2016 NHL Draft
College Team: Boston College — League: NCAA
Born: June 1st, 1998 — City: Tampere, Finland
Height: 6 feet 0 inches — Weight: 208 lbs [183 cm/94 kg]
Drafted: 153rd overall (6th Round) in the 2016 NHL Draft
College Team: Boston College — League: NCAA
NEWS AND SCOUTING REPORTS
Earlier in the summer, Dustin Nielson included Rasanen in his Top 15 Edmonton Oilers prospects:
There is no rush for Rasanen. He just wrapped up his first season at Boston College finishing with 16 points in 32 games. He’s become a big part of the Finnish National Program and has managed to contribute offensively at the international level. Rasanen will likely get two more years in college before the Oilers even consider giving him a pro look.
Over at Dobber Prospects, Jameson Ewasiuk looked at Rasanen’s 2018 season:
Last season, his first at Boston College, Räsänen performed well and recorded four goals and 16 points in 32 games. He also had a solid performance at the WJC with four goals in five games. He has been a consistent performer at an international tournament the past couple years and is improving his offensive consistency in season play. The Oilers are going to patient with young Finnish forward and there is still plenty of time for him to keep improving as he just turned 20 in June.
Before he was drafted by the Oilers, HockeyProspect.com looked at Rasanen’s overall potential:
Rasanen is a hard-working right-shot two-way center who plays a sound game in the defensive zone and doesn’t mind sacrificing his body to make plays, as he is willing to engage in one and one battles. He’s got an active defensive stick, can cause turnovers and is a quite good penalty killer. Rasanen’s skating is only average, he can bring the puck up ice and has good enough vision to make plays. His puck skills are just OK and despite the improvement in his offensive game it is more realistic to project him as a checking forward at the next level, as he lacks a dynamic element to his game.
PRE-DRAFT RANKINGS
- Ranked #135 by HOCKEYPROSPECT.COM
- Ranked #59 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
- Ranked #157 by ISS HOCKEY
- Ranked #93 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
- Ranked #21 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)
VIDEO AND HIGHLIGHTS
Once again, Edmonton Future Watch put together a wonderful compilation of Rasanen’s highlights from his 2017-18 season at Boston College:
Here is a nice look at Rasanen’s work at the 2016 U18 tournament:
A very nice goal by Rasanen for Boston College from this past season:
SEASON STATS
SEASON | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | PGP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011-12 | Tappara U16 | Jr. C SM-sarja Q | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | |||||||
Tappara U16 | Jr. C SM-sarja | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 14 | |||
2012-13 | Tappara U16 “C” | Jr. C SM-sarja Q | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 4 | |||||||
Tappara U16 | Jr. C SM-sarja | 11 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 34 | ||||||||
Tappara U18 | Jr. B SM-sarja | 17 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
2013-14 | Tappara U16 | Jr. C SM-sarja Q | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |||||||
Tappara U16 | Jr. C SM-sarja | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||
Tappara U18 | Jr. B SM-sarja | 36 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 54 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
Finland U16 (all) “C” | International-Jr | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 4 | |||||||
2014-15 | Tappara U20 | Jr. A SM-liiga | 41 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 22 | -5 | ||||||
Finland U17 | WHC-17 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||
Finland U17 (all) “C” | International-Jr | 24 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 28 | 0 | |||||||
2015-16 | Tappara U18 | Jr. B SM-sarja | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
Tappara U20 “A” | Jr. A SM-liiga | 50 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 26 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | |
Finland U18 | WJC-18 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 8 | |||||||
2016-17 | Sioux City Musketeers | USHL | 38 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 30 | 21 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
Finland U20 | WJC-20 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | -1 | |||||||
Finland U20 (all) | International-Jr | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 18 | -1 | |||||||
2017-18 | Boston College | NCAA | 32 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 45 | 7 | ||||||
Finland U20 | WJC-20 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | |||||||
Finland U20 (all) | International-Jr | 11 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 |
TEAM STATS
SEASON | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010-11 | Finland Selects U13 | QC Int PW | 4 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 | |
2014-15 | Finland U17 | EYOF | 3 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
2015-16 | Finland U18 | Hlinka Gretzky Cup | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | -2 |
Previously:
- All About Filip Berglund
- All About William Lagesson
- All About Dylan Wells
- All About Ethan Bear
- All About Cooper Marody
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