Raanta Adjusted Off-Season Training Focus to Increase Strength

GLENDALE --Despite being in and out of the lineup because of injuries last season, Antti Raanta proved he could be an NHL team's No. 1 goalie if given the chance, which the Coyotes gave him.
The challenge now is to prove it over an entire season instead of just 47 games.

To that end, Raanta worked hard on body conditioning in May, June and July leading up to pre-training camp skates.
"It feels good to be back here," Raanta said at the start of training camp. "For a goalie, I think when you play a lot of games, you have to make sure that the midsection is strong and it can carry the load. Obviously, you want to be fast when you're not a 6-foot-8 goalie. You have to be fast. You have to react a lot and you also have to be flexible. For me, I've always been flexible so I wanted to take a little bit of flexibility out and try to build a little bit more muscle. That was the big thing, to get more muscles for the legs, and also in the groin areas and hamstrings and glutes and core. Everything looks and feels ready to go."

Raanta is an underrated goalie. In fact, of the 31 NHL goalies who played at least 47 games last season, the 29-year-old Finn produced the best save percentage (.930) and goals-against average (2.24). Furthermore, per The Hockey News, since the start of the 2015-16 season, Raanta ranks first among NHL goalies with a .926 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average among the 42 goalies who've played at least 100 games.
The Coyotes signed Raanta to a three-year contract near the end of last season and they are eager to see how he can build on what he started in 2017-18.
"'Rants' came into camp ready to go," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "His body fat is way down from last year, he's shed some pounds and he's got more core strength. He's excited to see the results."
Raanta looked sharp in his preseason debut vs. Los Angeles on Tuesday night when he stopped 18 of 19 shots, including a crowd-pleasing glove save on a shot by Jeff Carter in the second period.

Raanta said his new contract motivated him in the off-season.
"When you get that kind of contract, and that kind of trust statement from the organization, you want to show that they made the right move," Raanta said. "That's why I wanted to do everything as good as possible this summer and prepare for the new season and just help the team to win."

Tocchet probably won't name Raanta an alternate captain before the season starts, but only because he's a goalie and it's not a traditional move. That doesn't mean Tocchet doesn't expect Raanta to play a key role in the team's leadership group.
"He's got leadership skills," Tocchet said. "To me, a leader is what he just did. He had to work on his fitness and he did this summer. I think he realized if he wants to be a No. 1 (goalie) he has to train like a No.1 and not like a backup. I think that's what he did."
Countdown to Opening Night
The Coyotes missed Raanta at the start of last season as he played just three games in October. The team struggled without him and posted a deflating 1-11-1 record in the first month. Arizona is focussing intently on starting the season better this year, and Raanta's performance will be key to accomplishing that goal.
"Antti was unbelievable for us last year," forward Clayton Keller said. "Having him in net to start the season is going to be huge."
Raanta likes playing and living in Arizona. It's calm and quiet here, he said, and it already "feels like home" to him and his family.
"Every day when you wake up and the sun is shining you just feel like it's going to be a good day, and I think that's a big part of feeling so comfortable here," Raanta said. "It's never too bad when it's warm and sunny. It's a great place to be, and what we are building here, I think it's going to be a big thing. Obviously you see that we made a lot of moves in the summertime, so the organization is behind us also. They want us to be successful and you want to be a goalie for that kind of team."