A trade has been made! The Tampa Bay Lightning made a trade with the Boston Bruins to get pick No. 108. With the 108th pick in the draft, the Lightning selected Benjamin Rautiainen, C from the Taparra in the Liiga Finnish Elite League.
Rautiainen is a skilled center who is offensively-minded. He is known for his deceptive play, ability to play fast or slow things down, along with pulling off key passes to the slot.
He has the ability play center and at wing, has a great knowledge of the game and an ability to anticipate plays before they happen.
Left-handed shooter Rautiainen scored 10 goals, had 23 assists, 12 penalty minutes, 33 total points and a +4 rating with the Taparra in 2025.
The 20-year old standing at 6’0”, 174lbs is known to a have an electric shot and great offensive skills, which is what the Lightning are looking to improve in 2025-26 so they don’t have another early playoff exit. With Rautiainen, they get a player who has great vision, mental sharpness, and strong passing and puckhandling skills.
Rautiainen scored the game-winning goal that sent Finland to the gold medal game in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. It was his quick decision making skills and fast hands allowing him to score that helped him get that goal for Finland that led them to the championships.
Rautiainen is a confident shooter who can take shots from multiple angles.
Rautiainen was available to be drafted in 2024, however was left on the board. This year, the Lightning saw something special in the 20-year old and went and got him.
While he has solid offensive skills, his area for improvement and growth come in his defensive abilities. The Lightning will look to increase his physicality on the ice. While he attracts contact on the ice offensively, Rautiainen could benefit from using that same aggression defensively.
Rautiainen was named to the 2021 U16 SM-sarja II All-Star Team, a 2023 U20 SM-sarja Champion, 2024 U20 SM-sarja bronze medalist and led those playoffs in points and plus/minus. He also led the Liiga in rookie goals in 2025 and was a 2025 U20 WJC Silver medalist.