It is the second year in a row that he will compete for his home nation, as Rantanen won a silver medal for his country during the 2016 World Championship in Moscow, Russia, where recorded one assist in five competitions.

Colorado Avalanche rookie forward Mikko Rantanen has been selected to represent Finland at the 2017 IIHF World Championship in Paris, France, and Cologne, Germany in May.

As a 19-year-old, Rantanen was named captain for Team Finland at the 2016 World Junior Championship. He led his team to a gold medal on home soil in Helsinki. The forward had an impressive run during the tournament, tallying two goals and three assists in seven contests. The captain recorded a pair of helpers in the semifinal win over Sweden and scored a goal in the final against Russia.

Rantanten recorded an impressive four goals in five games for Finland at the 2015 World Junior Championship in Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec.

The forward competed in the 2014 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championship, where he put up five points (three goals, two helpers) in five games. In his first international appearance, at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, he led Finland in points (three goals and four assists) in only four games.

Team Finland is in Group B and will take on Belarus at the AccorHotels Arena in France for its first preliminary game.