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The Tampa Bay Lightning have added the best player from Finland to their roster for seasons to come.
On Friday, they signed Benjamin Rautiainen to a three-year entry-level contract.
Rautiainen is a 20-year old forward who earned honors for the top player in the Finnish Liiga this season. He had 77 points in 59 games played en route to a league title with Tappara.
The Lightning held his rights after making Rautiainen a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
With Tappara Tampere, Rautiainen has played center as a left-shot player. He's listed at 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds.
He made his senior level debut with three games in the Finnish league in 2023-24.
He played 50 games in 2024-25, going for 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points.
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Rautiainen's breakout came this season with his 25 goals and 52 assists in 59 regular season games, and then seven more points in 18 playoff games.
The Lightning drafted him before his monster season in Finland, which likely came with at least a bit of a value.
Rautiainen has also represented Finland at the World Juniors level in 2025, when he had two goals and two assists across seven games at that tournament.
The Lightning have a lot of veteran forward talent, but eventually that has to start being moved as young players come up through the ranks. Rautiainen was a little bit out of sight, out of mind, but Tampa Bay clearly liked what he did this season in Finland and decided he's ready to compete for a spot in the AHL or NHL in 2026-27.
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