The Tampa Bay Lightning made one trade on the second day of the draft as they sent their 2026 fourth-round pick to the Boston Bruins for the 108th pick of this year’s draft. With that pick they selected Benjamin Rautiainen from Tappara of the Finnish Liiga. The 20-year-old put up 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 50 games as a rookie. He added another 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 7 games for the Finnish Under-20 team at the World Junior Championships.
This was the 6’0″, 174 lbs., left-shot forward’s third time through the draft, and the Lightning liked what they saw last season. According to the scouts, his hockey sense has really improved over the last year or so, and he was a solid link in transition for Tappara’s offense last season. He can play the game at various speeds, which can throw defenses off when trying to defend him.
For instance, how about an overtime goal in the World Juniors to beat Sweden?
He holds the puck down low, slowing the game down, drawing the defender to him. Then a no-look shot on net that surprises the goaltender. Feels kind of Kuchy, doesn’t it?
He will need to work on rounding out his game to earn a chance to showcase his offensive skills, and he likely won’t head over to North America for at least another season.
Elite Prospects had this to say about his play from one of his games in April:
“He’s the definition of a crafty player, deceptively handling the puck and keeping defenders on their heels while also having projectable passing skill and vision. He’s also crafty on his edges, constantly changing angles and varying his speed to manoeuvre around defenders and create space for himself. He plays fast when he needs to, but is also capable of slowing things down when it suits him and his team.”
