Rangers Sign Defenseman Reunanen To ELC

Updated:
Juha Sinisalo

Moments ago, the Rangers announced that they have signed prospect Tarmo Reunanen to an entry-level contract.

Reunanen had himself a fantastic season with Lukko of the Finnish Liiga, registering 25 points (6G, 19A) in 58 games. His 25 points have him tied for 13th place all-time amongst U21 defensemen in Liiga history. In addition, only three other U22 Finnish defensemen had produced more in a single season (Sami Vatanen, Sami Niku, and Esa Lindell).

Tarmo Reunanen is a smooth skating left-handed defenseman who isn’t afraid to join the rush. As a junior player, he was coming through the ranks with TPS and the Finnish national team in different age groups. Olli Juolevi and Tarmo Reunanen were long seen as equal until Reunanen suffered a brutal injury in his draft year (2015-16) which saw him drop to the fourth round where the Rangers drafted him. His offensive game is often underrated, but after this season, it’s no longer a secret.

After he moved from TPS to Lukko, Reunanen regained his confidence with big minutes and his performance even earned him a call up to the men’s national team for the games against Norway and Denmark in the Euro Hockey Challenge. Reunanen signed a two-year extension with Lukko earlier this year and the Rangers have the option to loan him to Lukko if he does not make the team. Make no mistake about it, Reunanen is going to fight for every minute in the NHL and with the renewed confidence picked up in Rauma, he will be an interesting player to watch.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to the aforementioned Steven Voogel for the scouting report in this article. You can read more about Reunanen in this piece from Forever Blueshirts writer Steven Voogel.

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