Now, a new Dallas athlete is having to deal with the law, but it’s unique compared to these other offenses. Stars superstar right-winger Mikko Rantanen, who was traded for and signed to an 8-year extension in March, is facing hefty fines in Finland after failing to report for his mandatory military service. Since Rantanen isn’t a Dallas Cowboy and the alleged offense didn't happen here locally, it’s likely you haven't heard much about it. Here’s what’s going on.
In Finland, military conscription takes place for all males when they turn 18. Those males then go through various types of training, and service time can last either 165, 255, or 357 days. By law, that initial training must be completed by the age of 30. After military training is completed, males are then placed in the military reserves, meaning they’re released back into civilian society, but are later called on to serve if needed. Individuals can also elect to remain in a military profession or apply for a crisis management position following their initial training.
That’s not where the Finnish military training ends, though, because once reserves turn 50, they’re sent back into service for an 80 to 150 refresher on their military training. Officers do this when they turn 60. Basically, every male in Finland aged 18-60 is a part of the auxiliary reserve in Finland.
Does that matter to us here in the United States very much? Not really, but perhaps it should if you’re a local sports fan at least. The Dallas Stars are home to a group of immensely talented, promising players nicknamed “The Finnish Mafia,” after all.
The Dallas Finnish Mafia
In fact, this whole Finnish conscription thing is a big deal across the entire NHL, but especially with the Stars. In the 2024-25 season, 53 different players from Finland competed throughout the league. The five from the Stars included Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Mikael Granlund. The Stars have also had other Finns on the roster in recent years, such as Jani Hakanpää and Joel Kiviranta. We must not forget also that the Stars' No. 2 overall prospect Emil Hemming is from Finland, and the team has drafted three Finns in the last two years. General Manager Jim Nill is familiar with the Finnish military service process, to say the least.What we know about Rantanen, who is 28 years old, is that he has yet to complete his six months (165 days) of military training required for all Finnish males. He’s in hot water because he was due for military service on April 15th, at which time the Stars were on a road trip headed to Nashville before beginning the Stanley Cup Playoffs. NHL players reportedly need either an exemption or a postponement to get out of service.
Plenty of players have gotten exemptions before, such as Seattle Kraken forward Kappo Kakko, who secured one due to his diabetes. Dallas’s own Hintz got one for an injury he sustained against the Oilers in this year's Western Conference Finals. Rantanen, however, didn’t get an exemption but a postponement.
The problem? He filed the postponement request on April 16th, one day late for his military service. So, technically, he voluntarily skipped a day of military service.
A Finnish prosecutor is now going after Rantanen, asking for a fine worth 10-15 days of service. Fines in Finland are based on income, and considering Rantanen is the sixth-highest-paid player in the NHL, his wallet is likely to take a hit. Finnish news site Helsingin Sanomat, which originally reported this incident, is estimating the fine to be up to 85,000 Euros, which is a little over $99,000 U.S. dollars. We reached out to the Stars to ask about an update to Rantanen’s status, but we didn’t hear back before publication.
Most Finnish athletes playing in the United States typically complete their military service privately without issue. For example, there’s no public knowledge regarding the status of Stars' longtime defensemen, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen, and their military service. Despite that, many athletes have spoken out about their service.Mikko Rantanen is facing Prosecution & Fines for refusing to appear for military service
— FinntasticStats🇫🇮 (@FinntasticStats) August 20, 2025
•Rantanen was supposed to join the Guard Jaeger Regiment in April 2024, but didn't appear at the deadline
•The prosecutor is demanding a 10–15 day fine
•Fine up to €84,750#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/VHMY3uekF1
Russian-Finnish player Leo Komarov, who played nine years with the Maple Leafs and Islanders, talked about his time in the Finnish military in a 2016 Sportnet article.
“It’s good for you to do it, but they don’t fuck around with you,” Komarov is quoted in the article as saying. “They just teach you how to be a man and how to use a gun.”
He also described what the routine looks like during that time.
Lauri Markkanen has completed his mandatory service with the Finnish military
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 29, 2023
(via laurimarkkanen/IG) pic.twitter.com/AISdNTqkwE
“You wake up at 5:45 in the morning, you go for a run, and then you start doing your training for the whole day,” he said. “Then we went to the forest for three full weeks, like always a week at a time from Monday to Friday. Sleep in small tents and doing the stuff you need to do.”
Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen served his time in the Finnish military in the summer of 2023 after Utah missed the playoffs, telling a group of reporters, "I just figured if we're not going to be playing in the postseason this year, then it's going to be a good time to do it now, instead of just postponing it and then eventually having to do it in a time that wouldn't work so well for me."
Even if you win the Stanley Cup Finals and lift the Cup in July… you’ll still need to serve your time. That’s what happened to Olli Määttä, who at 21 years old helped Pittsburgh win the cup in 2016 and served his time that same summer. I guess he didn’t need much of a break, though, because Pittsburgh won it again in 2017.
