Lightning Prospect Benjamin Rautiainen Faces Steep Climb to NHL Roster

Of the 23 invited players who will represent the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2026 Prospect Showcase, which runs Sunday through Tuesday at the Invisalign Arena in North Carolina, there are probably 23 different levels of possibility for those players ascending to where they ultimately want to be, which is on the ice at Benchmark International Arena regularly.

For players like 20-year-old center/right wing Sam O’Reilly or 23-year-old left wing/center Dylan Duke, they probably want to – and expect to – be in Tampa sooner rather than later. However, for 21-year-old left wing/center Benjamin Rautiainen, his trajectory is certainly upward, but at what angle is unknown right now.

“(Rautiainen) has a tremendous level of skill and play-making ability,” Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois said earlier this year. “He is still a young player. He is still in development. He is still, physically, in development.

“But I am very curious to see what comes next for him.”

Aren’t we all.

Rautianinen will compete for very little ice time, given the experienced and talented roster BriseBois has constructed. However, his level of production last season, and even recently, may make BriseBois and head coach Jon Cooper’s decision on his future a difficult one.

Rautiainen totaled 77 points for Tappara Tampere in the Liiga, Finland’s top professional league last season. That number broke a record held by Saku Koivu (74 in 1994-95) for the most by a player before their 21st birthday in league history.

“It was really amazing what he did (in 2025-26),” BriseBois continued. “It was historical, really.

The production was the seventh-best season in Liiga history overall. His 52 assists in 59 games were the sixth-most by any player all-time. And apparently, last year wasn’t a fluke.

Rautiainen opened the 2026-27 season this month by registering five points in three games.

“If you look at all of the records that he has broken,” BriseBois said. “Who he compares to in that league, all-time greats who ended up being NHL players, Teemu Selanne, his name comes up a lot.

“We’re really excited about having him in our pipeline.”

That “pipeline” may be where Rautiainen stays for now.

The Lightning have veterans Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point, Jeffrey Viel, Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde, Zemgus Girgensons, and Jake Guentzel already written in permanent ink on the roster.

Young players such as Conor Geekie and Dominic James aren’t looking to relinquish their places in Cooper’s mind.

Players such as Nicholas Abruzzese and Jakob Pelletier made strong impressions in Syracuse last season and want promotions, and veterans Pontus Holmberg, Scott Sabourin, and newly acquired Ilya Mikheyev also don’t expect to be going anywhere but Tampa this season.

Rautiainen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Tampa Bay in May. The deal stipulates that if he doesn’t make the NHL roster now, he will be reassigned to Tappara in alignment with the NHL and international hockey agreement. If that happens, he could then play in Tampa or Syracuse next spring following the conclusion of his Liiga season.

“We’re in constant talk with his agent as to what the best course of action is for his development,” BriseBois said.

Rautiainen may interject himself into that conversation with his play over the next few weeks.

The Showcase will feature squads from the Lightning, Carolina, and Nashville.

The teams will play each other once over the three-day tournament, with the games being regulation length with three 20-minute periods. A five-minute, three-on-three overtime period will determine a winner if games are tied after regulation. Games will conclude with a five-player shootout regardless of the final score.

The Lightning roster not only includes O’Reilly, Duke, and Rautiainen, but also Lucas Mercuri, who led Syracuse in penalty minutes last season.

Other top prospects include 2026 second-round pick Oleg Kulebiakin and 2026 third-round pick Tomas Kralovic.

The games may be viewed on the Tampa Bay app.