RALEIGH, NC (AP) — There was one thing Mikko Rantanen needed after he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes: his number.
Jack Roslovic had the No. 96 for Carolina before Rantanen was acquired in a blockbuster three-team trade last week that also involved the Chicago Blackhawks.
Rantanen made a deal with Roslovic for the number. It was Roslovic who set up Rantanen’s first goal with the Hurricanes during Thursday night's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.
“That was a great play by Ros, the drop pass,” Rantanen said. “I was able to help the team, which was good.”
When it comes to his number, Rantanen said all he had to do was ask Roslovic.
“He’s a nice guy," he said. "I told him I’d buy him a nice watch.”
Carolina also got Taylor Hall from Chicago in the trade. But Hall missed the win over the Blackhawks because of an illness.
Carolina is hoping Rantanen's goal in his home debut with the Hurricanes is the first of many in his new jersey.
The 28-year-old forward was an elite scorer in his nine-plus seasons with Colorado, recording a career-best 105 points in 2022-23 and 104 last year. He is on track to pass 100 points again this season.
Carolina hasn’t had a player record 100 points in a season since Eric Staal in 2005-06 — the only time the Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup.
“He knows he wants to come in here and help contribute right away,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You’ve got to be on the scoresheet. That’s where everyone is looking. Now he has. Nice to see him get (the first one). Now he doesn’t have to worry about it.”
It was Rantanen's third game with Carolina. He had an assist in Tuesday night's 4-0 win at the New York Rangers for his first point with the Hurricanes.
Rantanen helped the Avs win the Stanley Cup in 2022. But he is eligible for free agency after this season.
The deal with the Hurricanes puts Rantanen on another good team with a group of his Finnish countrymen, notably center Sebastian Aho. That has made the transition easier.
“The guys have been great,” Rantanen said. “They’re a resilient group and they work really hard. You can tell they’ve had success in the last couple of years and they play really well together. I’m glad to be part of it.”
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Carolina Hurricanes' Mikko Rantanen waits for a face-off during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Carolina Hurricanes' Mikko Rantanen (96) chips the puck past Chicago Blackhawks' Alec Martinez (25) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Mikko Rantanen (96) battles with Chicago Blackhawks' Frank Nazar (91) following a face off during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says.
This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that borders Saudi Arabia.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.
The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the airstrikes.
Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.
Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.
He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”
Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous” and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover, according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.
Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”
“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,” he added.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.
The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.
In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.
Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves “everyone and the public interest.”
Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.
ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.
Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.
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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.
Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)
