Antti raanta
G | 6' 0" | 195 lb | Age: 31 | New York Rangers
Born: May 12, 1989
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Birthplace: Rauma, FIN
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Shoots: Left
One of a long line of Finland-born goalies to make their mark in the NHL, Raanta has a strong attention to detail, sharp focus, a relentless work ethic and great preparation habits.
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He displayed that in his native country before heading to North America. Raanta started his career with Lukko in the Finnish Elite League, then moved to Assat in 2011-12. His best season came in 2012-13, when he led the league in goals-against average (1.85) and save percentage (.943), was fifth in shutouts (five) and tied for fifth in victories (21). He won the Lasse Oksanen Award as the league's best player in the regular season as well as the Urpo Ylonen Award as the league's top goalie in the regular season.
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That season he helped led Assat to a league championship and won the Jari Kurri Award as playoff MVP after going 12-4 with a 1.33 GAA and .955 save percentage. Raanta represented Finland at the 2013 IIHF World Championship and was named one of Finland's top three players. He went 4-3 with a 2.09 GAA, .928 save percentage and one shutout.
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With NHL teams recruiting Raanta in the offseason, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 3, 2013. He started the season with Rockford of the American Hockey League before being called up to Chicago and made his NHL debut in relief of Corey Crawford against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 19, 2013.
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Raanta got his first NHL start Nov. 27, 2013, making 20 saves in a 3-2 victory against the Calgary Flames. He started his NHL career by allowing two or fewer goals in each of his first five starts.
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He got his first career shutout, making 26 saves in a 1-0 victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 30, 2013. Raanta finished the season 13-5-4 with a 2.71 GAA and .897 save percentage for Chicago. At home, he was 7-0-2 with a 1.68 GAA and .928 save percentage.
He played 14 games with Chicago in 2014-15 and did not make a Stanley Cup Playoff appearance for the champion Blackhawks. He was traded to the New York Rangers on June 27, 2015.
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Raanta won the backup job behind Henrik Lundqvist and made his Rangers debut Oct. 19, 2015, making 22 saves in a 4-0 win against the San Jose Sharks. He won his first four starts, allowing fewer than two goals in three of them. He finished the season 11-6-2 with a 2.24 GAA and .919 save percentage and made three playoff appearances in New York's five-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference First Round.
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After one more season in New York, Raanta was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on June 23, 2017. He went 21-17-6 with a 2.24 GAA and .930 save percentage in 47 games (46 starts) and signed a three-year contract with the Coyotes on April 6, 2018.
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NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
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Signed as a free agent by Chicago, June 3, 2013.
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Traded to NY Rangers by Chicago for Ryan Haggerty, June 27, 2015.
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Traded to Arizona by NY Rangers with Derek Stepan for Tony DeAngelo and Arizona's 1st round pick (Lias Andersson) in 2017 NHL Draft, June 23, 2017.