Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen Named Alternate Captains For Team Finland

Team Finland announced their leadership group for the 4 Nations Face-Off today and both Carolina Hurricanes forwards Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen were named alternate captains.

Finland will be captained by Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers and Mikael Granlund of the San Jose Sharks will also serve as an alternate captain.

Aho, 27, is currently a point-per-game producer for the Hurricanes with 17 goals and 51 points in 51 games. The franchise cornerstone has served as an alternate captain with Carolina for multiple years and he's been an impact player for Finland throuhgout his international career.

Rantanen, 28, is the newest member of the Hurricanes but comes to Carolina with 25 goals and 61 points in 51 games played. Just like Aho, Rantanen wore an 'A' for Colorado and has been an impact for Finland whenever he's had the chance to play in international tournaments. 

"It's a big honor," Rantanen said. "First of all, making the team. Growing up, you remember watching the Olympics and all the Finnish great players who played back then and you just dreamed of one day maybe being a part of it. And now to be one of the leaders of the team is a really big honor and hopefully I can do a good job there."

The 4 Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12-20 as Finland faces off against Sweden, Canada and the US.

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